


Joy

by MrQuinlansBloodDoll



Category: Mako Mermaids, Slight Rosario + Vampire, The Strain (TV), True Blood
Genre: #Rosario+Vampire Themes, A Dragon - Freeform, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, BDSM, Contracts, Crossover, Cuddling & Snuggling, Dealing With Loss, Demonic Realms, Demons, Dragonborn - Freeform, Eating Souls, Eventual Romance, F/F, F/M, Flashbacks, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Lar is born, Loss of Virginity, Mako Mermaids - Freeform, Mental Breakdown, Mental Instability, Mermaids, Multi, Naked Cuddling, Reincarnation, Sharing a Bed, Slightly a crossover, Soul Selling, Succubus, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, Torture, True Blood References, Vaun is born, possible happy ending, trigger warning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-08
Updated: 2017-09-12
Packaged: 2018-11-29 07:06:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 9
Words: 24,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11435703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrQuinlansBloodDoll/pseuds/MrQuinlansBloodDoll
Summary: I have no clue if Quinlan would have been in Pompeii but he was for the fanfic ;P





	1. Chapter 1

“Have I no control, is my soul not mine?

Am I not just man, destiny defined?

Never to be ruled nor held to heel

Not heaven or hell, just the land between”

\- VNV Nation - Joy

…

https://www.youtube.com/embed/7oJPlOzb49A  
…

 

“Why did you save me?” Vaun’s voice was strained as he commanded the bundled up woman to answer him. White blood was spit to the floor and he sat up, frowning at the three fallen sun hunters he had brought with him. He had never expected any of today to happen.

“You seem to have some sense unlike the others and you’re fighting against them… I figured you were good.”

She had come out of nowhere once he was overwhelmed by a group of strigoi he had not been expecting.

Vaun looked her over. Her body was a skinny one. A scarf, hood, and her beanie covered most of her head with a skull mask covering her nose and mouth. He tried to look into her mind but failed, this person seemed to be blocking him somehow.

“Don’t even try to look in my head.” Vaun’s rescuer said, “The other creatures did that and I hated it…”

“Alright.” He stood up and reached his hand out, “Come to me.”

“No.”

An annoyed sigh left him with a roll of his red eyes, “I want to make sure you aren’t corrupted.”

“I’m not.”

“Really.” Vaun smirked, unsure as to if this female was being truthful or not. She did seem to be a very talented fighter, someone they could use on their team. They were starting to run low on numbers, “I should recruit you.”

“For?”

“To be a sun hunter.”

“A sun what?”

…

Santorini jumped when the door opened but was relieved when she saw her bundled up sister walk in, “Vesuvius! You’re back!”

“Tori, get some things. We are leaving.” She took the hood off, “This guy Vaun just recruited us to kill these weird things running around. I figured we would be safer with him than we are here.”

The younger woman nodded and grabbed the important keepsakes and some supplies with ammo before bundling up herself. Her older sister pushed the younger’s hair up into her beanie and scarf so it was hidden and out of the way.

I can finally take you somewhere you will be safe. This guy appears rather frightening but it’s clear he needs help. He promised no one would eat us. I have blocked my thoughts from him-“

“What? Eat us?” That didn’t sound good.

“He is a half breed, he called himself a born or something. He is determined to kill the big guy that made all these creatures. Remember how to block everything, just like I taught you?”

The younger nodded nervously, silently wondering what her sister had gotten them into.

“Good. Lets go.”

…

Vaun waited in the black car for the woman to collect her little sister with their supplies. Vesuvius was her name. She had fought better than most humans, almost as good as his own brother Quinlan. He just hoped and prayed the younger one was as good as this one. He couldn’t read her thoughts and assumed the younger sister was as good as the older. An annoyed growl escaped his throat. He saw the two walk out and discreetly rolled his eyes when he saw the other was even smaller. They didn’t have much, each had two messenger bags that seemed fairly light. 

“This is my sister, Santorini.” Vesuvius exclaimed as she got in the front and motioned to her sister in the back. It was quiet for a moment, an awkward silence. In an attempt to avoid the uncomfortable pause, Vesuvius fiddled with her gloves, making sure the pieces of clothing were properly situated before looking at Vaun once more, “Okay, where are we going?”

“Somewhere safe. Back with the others.”

“Others?”

Vaun turned the car left then to the right down the street. The oldest of the two new recruits looked back at the youngest and gave a comforting nod that everything was going to be okay. The ride to the safe haven was a long, awkward one. Vaun couldn’t see their thoughts and they didn’t talk much, it was… Weird and uncomfortable. He was used to riding with his mate and the human Augustine, both of them were talkers. It felt like a weight had lifted off his shoulders when they all stepped out of the black vehicle.

“This place… Doesn’t look very safe.” The oldest said.

But then again, nothing looked safe in this city. The sun was beginning to set and it was making the two sisters rather anxious.

“Go inside, the elevator is directly in front of you. Go to the top floor, to the left, last door on the right. Ask for Doctor Goodweather. Tell them you’re here to fight against the master…”

Vaun climbed back in the car and drive off. The two looked at each other before walking inside, straight into the elevator as directed. At least there was some sort of doctor in the group they were going to start helping. Every apocalypse team needed one of those to survive.

The elevator opened and the two stepped out, turned left, making their way to the last room on the right.

“This is too fancy.” Santorini muttered, “Rich people place, maybe?”

“I don’t think rich or poor applies any longer with the things that are going down. At least we will be safe, I hope…”

The large room was well lit with artwork on the walls. The area gave off a relaxing vibe, something that was a major relief to feel after staying in a small hotel room for several weeks.

“Can I help you two ladies?” The voice belonged to an older man, leaning over a book.

“Are you Doctor Goodweather? We are here to help in your fight against the master.”

The older man spoke in a rough tone, suggesting he was exhausted, “I am not. He will be back soon. Your help will be greatly appreciated. My name is Abraham Setrekian.”

“I’m Vesuvius, this is Santorini.”

“Welcome. Sit, wait, Doctor Goodweather should be back within the next… Ten minutes or so.”

His attention went back to the book on the desk in front of him. Every now and then, he would mutter to himself and write on a notepad next to him. After a while, Santorini quietly stood up and looked at the books in the bookcases. Vesuvius just preferred to sit and reflect on things. It was easy to do here, Not much background noise.

 

“Who the hell are these guys?” A voice said from behind them.

 

“Mr. Fet, these are two new recruits. Our friend Mr. Vaun sent them.”

 

“Okay…” Fet laughed, “They are pretty but can they fight?”

“We can.”

“Alright, straight forward. I like that in a lady.” Fet winked and looked through a bag that was on the floor in the corner of the room.

Vesuvius shifted her long orange hair over one shoulder then went back to the empty spot on the wall, letting herself slip back into deep thought.

After coming here to get their father and take him back overseas with him, back home, they discovered he had been turned into one of those creatures. By the time they found the will to release his soul, they were unable to travel and return home. They were stuck here until this was over. Compared to home, this place was a crowded nightmare.

A loud slam of a door snapped her from her thoughts, making Santorini jump and turn around. In came two men, one human, the other was not.

“Doctor Goodweather, these two girls were sent to help us in our fight. I believe Mr. Vaun was the one to bring them here.” Setrakian said, looking up from the book.

Eph nodded and held his hand out, “Oh, well. We need the help. So, I assume the two of you know what we are up against.”

Vesuvius shook his hand, “We do. We just want to end it so we can go back home. Just tell us what to do.”

“You can help Fet blow up things.” He said with a laugh.

“The master doesn’t need help, Doctor.” Fet laughed.

Eph coughed, “You know Mr. Setrakian, Fet and myself.” He gestured to the one beside of him, “This is Quinlan.”

“Hello, Quinlan.” She nodded to him, “This is Santorini, my name is Vesuvius.”

“Vesuvius.” He scoffed, “Is that your birth name?”

“It is.”

“Did your mother not stop to think that such a name could be rather… Offensive to the people who live in that area?” A growl followed his words.

“I live in the area. The people there do not mind it.” She snapped.

“Alright, how about I introduce you two to Dutch. I’m positive you and her will get along.” The doctor jumped between the two and led Vesuvius and Santorini outside, “I could use some help, anyway.”

Silently, the two women followed him into another room.


	2. Chapter 2

“Last night my shadow went to heaven

My body’s here, my soul in hell

Last night I killed, I can’t remember

Who I killed or why I laughed

Last night was never supposed to happen

Today I woke to a rain of blood”

\- Combichrist - Today I Woke To A Rain Of Blood

…  
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aM_8bBM_V_8  
…

Two weeks had passed and the two were introduced to Gus, Dutch and Aria. Aria and Vaun constantly took the sisters scavenging and strigoi hunting with them. Gus didn’t talk much to them, he often went his own way.

Aria looked over a map of the city, “Somewhere, there’s a hoard of strigoi here in-”

Then there was another woman.

“Quinlan! Hey, boo.” She looked to be about thirty. This woman in tight clothes just walked up to Quinlan and wrapped her arms around him, “I missed you.”

Aria muttered under her breath as she interrupted her conversation with the born.

“Who are these two? I ain’t met them before.” The woman looked at the two sisters, her fingers pulling at the tight braids in her blonde hair.

 

“We’re new…” The oldest said.

“Weird. They’re girls, Q.”

Quinlan rolled his eyes, “Yes, Bianca. We can all see that.”

“Like we need any more of those.”

The woman straddled Quinlan but he quickly pushed her off, exiting the room. Soon after, Aria grabbed Vesuvius while Gus grabbed Santorini and they left the room.

Once outside, Aria let out an annoyed growl, “God, I can’t stand that succubus…”

Gus nodded in agreement, opening the car door. All of them followed his lead and got in then they were off.

“Who is she?” Vesuvius asked, curiously.

“Bianca.” Aria answered, “She is an amazing fighter but she is… She’s rather….”

“Slutty? Judgmental? Thinks she’s God? But she is hot.” Gus finished the sentence for her.

Aria huffed. Her fingers turned on the radio. Several stations had the emergency broadcasting system on air while others were just static. Only a few were playing actual music. After giving up on finding anything interesting, the radio was turned back off and it was silent, all but the occasional siren from a passing emergency vehicle.

The two sisters had gone on several missions with several of the groups over the next few weeks. Quinlan kept his eye on the oldest when they were forced to work together. He would never admit that he was impressed by the two. The oldest sister was a very talented and gifted fighter while the youngest was an expert and ingenious at setting traps and wielding guns. Though, he was curious as to how talented they really were. To be named after such powerful volcanoes, he felt compelled to push them and see if they were worthy of the names. Quinlan attempted to force himself into their thoughts only to be shut out rather quickly and rudely. The older one was more threatening and defensive about it, feeling when he tried to get any information on the two. Eventually, he just gave up in connecting with their minds. He argued with the oldest quite often, claiming she was getting on his nerves on purpose.

The two women were both quiet and secretive, only talking to each other. They took turns watching over each other when they slept. Though it was mostly the oldest watching over the youngest. When she slept, it wasn’t for very long.

“Atticus would love it here. I wish he would’ve come with us.” Santorini sighed, turning look at Vesuvius, “He would be happy to know you are using the skills he gave you in fighting.”

“And who is Atticus?” Aria asked, looking at the two beside of her in the back seat while Quinlan and Vaun were up front.

Santorini tried not to be loud or sound excited, “He is our cousin, also part of our mother’s team that were exploring the ruins of Pompeii. She is an archaeologist and in a group that studies ancient ruins and such. Atticus taught us to fight… I was never very good at it. That was when Cassia taught me how to shoot. Maximus then decided to teach me how to set traps to catch just about everything.”

“Do you have any pictures?” Aria asked.

“I filmed everything there and still have the camera and extra batteries with me. But we will do that later.”

“Later sounds wonderful, We will make it a date.” Aria laughed.

It was quiet for another long moment before Santorini looking out the window, “Are we there yet?”

“Yes, we are. Get ready.” Aria opened the door when the vehicle stopped. Her eyes searched the area, cautiously.

They had discovered an old hospital, the area seemed empty of people and strigoi, the perfect place to look for the things they needed. They went inside in search of medical supplies while looking for evidence that the master was there. Quinlan went ahead to clear the way of any strigoi that could have been hiding, very doubtful of the master actually being set up here but he had to be sure. It was too open, not many places to hide a coffin such as his.

Aria grabbed bottles of acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and naproxe putting them in her bag for future use. The others arrived in Gus’ group and followed them in.

“What took you so long, Gus?” Aria asked.

“Got caught up. I found some Amoxicillin, could come in handy. I also grabbed some Fluoxetine for Quinlan!” He laughed, ignoring Aria rolling her eyes, “But, no. Really… You never know when antidepressants will come in handy. You grabbing supplies while in here?”

“Uh, yeah. That was the whole point of coming here. It only makes sense to do that at the end of the world. Eph might need some of this stuff, too.” Aria looked at specific items from different sections of the ER before moving to the burn unit. Vaun followed behind her, gun up and ready to attack if it was needed.

They all decided to stick clear of the coronary care unit. Caution tape blocked the entrance and they decided to obey the keep out signs that were hanging limp underneath the yellow blockade.

Vesuvius went ahead and looked in each and every room as she passed them, grabbing syringes, several IV bags, and other such things that would come in handy if anyone ever became ill in the group. It was easy to become sidetracked in an abandoned hospital that was still full of supplies. It seemed pretty obvious everyone had left in a hurry. There were no signs of anyone stopping to grab any sort of supplies or electronics. But there was dried blood, puddles here and there. It was odd.

A cabinet was opened to reveal sleeping pills and cold medicine, decongestants and cough syrup. The thought of having it just in case nagged her until she grabbed it and put the bottles in her coat pocket. There was a silent debate as to if the oxygen therapy supplies was needed but she left that for the others to decide on.

Stepping out of the last room in the hallway, she found a gun in her face.

“Why are you not with the others? I could have killed you.” It was Quinlan.

“They were slow, I was anxious.”

“Hn…” Quinlan pulled the gun away, eyeing Vesuvius. He never said another word but she decided to follow him. She was safer with him than she was alone.

The entire place was empty; no master, no strigoi, no people. Something wasn’t right. Quinlan felt this had to be some sort of trap but the farther they went, they all discovered nothing happened.

“It’s too quiet.”

Quinlan silently agreed, moving faster through the halls. The two came to the Maternity departments and Vesuvius had to focus on anything but the bloody baby blanket that was spread out in the middle of the entrance.

“This isn’t something some people need to see. We should skip this area.” The born stepped back and nodded for Vesuvius to move on, “Come.”

With a single nod, she quickly followed behind him. Eventually, they made it to the cafeteria. Though it smelled of rotten food, there were several sealed packets that contained food not yet expired. Vesuvius grabbed those and shoved them in her bag.

“In the chapel…”

She looked up, curious as to what Quinlan was talking about. He had walked into the dining area, looking straight ahead. It was too dark for the woman to see what he was talking about but she realized right quick what he meant, “There’s a chapel here?”

“Most hospitals have a place of worship. The larger the hospital, the larger the chapel. This one seems rather small.” He quietly opened the door. Inside, on the floor, a small hoard of seven strigoi were curled up in a tight nest, eyes closed with the occasional twitch.

Quinlan drew his blade and quickly disposed of them. Only after they were disposed of, he turned and nodded for his female companion to follow. Other than the small slumbering group, it was empty. Without a word, he moved out of the chapel and into the hallway. He continued on, not saying a word to Vesuvius.

The discharge lounge was neat and looked to be untouched. The chairs and magazines were neat, nothing was knocked over, no blood.

They all grouped back up and went outside, back to the vehicles. Quinlan and Vaun sensed it almost immediately. They took out their weapons and everyone else done the same. That was when it happened. An ambush, a giant horde of strigoi seemed to crawl out from behind the abandoned vehicles, almost giving an illusion of materializing out of thin air. Several of the men were struck down. Quinlan rolled his eyes at the ones who had fallen, Vaun falling in beside of him. They both took out most of the strigoi. Aria, Santorini, and Vesuvius took out the rest. Gus was behind them doing some damage of his own, cursing loud when one of the strigoi latched onto his pant leg, it’s stinger getting stuck in the material and starting to rip it. The gun was quickly put to the side and his gloved hands grabbed the appendage, ripping it hard from the creature’s body.

“These were my favorite pants, man!” He exclaimed, kicking the body to the side.

Vaun was the one to take out the last pale body that jumped at them. Gus cussed at the top of his lungs when he saw how many of their men had fallen, kicking the tires of his car out of anger.

“Suvi!“ 

A lone strigoi appeared from the rafters of the parking deck and sliced it’s tongue at her, catching the jacket and ripping it half off. She dodged the strigoi after its second attempt to hit her, the stinger caught the hair bow that kept her long, orange hair up in a tight bun. Furious, she stabbed the creature. When she turned around, the others were watching her, Quinlan holding his arm out, keeping anyone from helping her.

“Thanks a lot.” She sighed, silently wondering what she had done to cause him to hate her so much, that he would not allow anyone to help her fight against a strigoi.

“Well, Quinlan. Are you convinced that she can fight now?” Vaun asked.

“Somewhat.” He growled the answer.

Aria made an attempt to push him back towards the car, “Stop being a dick and get in the car. All of you, we’re done here.”

They were all silent once they were all in the vehicle. Aria behind the wheel, Quinlan in the passenger seat, Santorini and Vesuvius in the back. Vaun and Gus went separate ways, Vaun promising to meet Aria later for their ‘date’ which consisted of killing strigoi on the streets.

“I thought they had got you, Suvi…”

“I’m fine.”

Vesuvius rested her head on top of Santorini’s and closed her eyes. She had the sudden feeling that something very bad was going to happen very soon. It was not a feeling she was used to.

The ride back was quiet. No one said a word when they exited the vehicle. Inside the suite, Aria tossed the bag of medical supplies to Eph who happily took it with a thankful nod. A smile lit up his face when she opened her other bag and pulled out a bottle of wine.

“You’re a life saver, Aria.”

“You’re a drunk.”

“And?”

The two laughed and Aria picked up her bag, waving to everyone as she was going to meet up with Vaun.

The room was quiet once again until the sound of thunder was heard. Outside, ribbons of lightning ran across the sky. Vesuvius sat near the closest window and gazed out, eyes giving away that she needed sleep. The deep rumbling was heard again and she closed her eyes with a smile. Quinlan watched her, not saying a word.

Tasa loved the sound of thunder, as well. She would smile so beautifully when it could be heard echoing in the distance. Curiously, he made an attempt to look inside her head again. This time, he saw a quick thought, a memory she was thinking of…

_\---The man stood before the little orange haired girl, his goatee cut close to his face and his long dreads pulled back in a tight ponytail. He was muscular from what he could see, tanned skin, standing with a rubber training sword in front of her._

_“Try again, little warrior.” The man smiled, “Don’t give up, you can do this.”_

_A strong determined look crossed over the girl’s features as she took her stance with her fake sword._

_“Come on, Suvi! You can do it!” Another orange haired girl, younger, shouted with two other men and a woman who was clearly the mother of the two girls._

_“Come on, little warrior. Attack me!” The man said._

_The little girl, Vesuvius lunged forward and started attacking with her weapon. Everyone was shocked when the man was thrown to the ground but it was not Vesuvius’ doing._

_“What the…” A small contraption was at his feet, it hadn’t activated to trip him until he stepped on the small piece inches away, “Tori!”_

_“Suvi! Finishing blow! Now!” Little Santorini giggled and Vesuvius jumped on top of the man, playfully. Santorini followed and jumped onto him with her sister._

_“Mercy! I’ve been defeated by a crazed duo!” The man laughed as the girls were pretending to hit him, “It is the end for me! What did I do to anger the gods to deserve this sort of agony!”_

_One of the men that were watching stood over the laughing man and giggling girls, “Really Atticus? You were defeated by two little girls?” He laughed._

_“Two smart little girls, Maximus! I mean, really! Tori’s trap making skills are almost legendary!” The man known as Atticus laughed and ruffled the two girls hair before climbing to his feet, “Tori, really. You can’t help her all the time. She doesn’t help you with your shooting.”_

_“Because I’m perfect at it!”_

_Vesuvius hugged her sister, “He is right. I made a promise to protect you so I have to learn this, mmkay?”_

_“Okay…”_

_Atticus put a hand on Vesuvius’ head, “I’ve only trained you in swords and a shield. We could give you the training of a bestiarius.”_

_“My daughter is not fighting against any animals!” The mother said with a playful glare._

_“Kidding! Kidding. But she could use the knowledge on fighting with a spear, whips I’m not so sure she could handle right now.”----_

Vesuvius snapped her head up, her eyes glaring at Quinlan, “Stop that…”

He said nothing.

“What is it you want to know? Just ask, I will tell you.”

Slowly, he blinked once and was silent before turning around and going back to the professor where he sat with the book. The two began talking and Vesuvius found she felt relaxed listening to them.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no clue if Quinlan would have been in Pompeii but he was for the fanfic ;P

“Was ist geschehn?  
Die Sonne scheint auf dein Gesicht.  
Deine bleiche Haut,  
warum antwortest du nicht?  
Ich ksse deine Stirn,  
deine Hand ist so kalt.  
Jemand zieht dich fort,  
doch ich kenne die Gestalt.”  
\- BlutEngel - Silent Death

…  
https://youtu.be/cZXVfbPQeD4  
…

Quinlan was sure he sensed the master’s lapdog down here. Old, leaky pipes covered in rust and old broken furniture was the only things to look at here. The entire place smelled of mold and dust, not exactly something any of them wanted to smell. But there was a lingering scent…

“No, Nazi boy has definitely been here.” Aria’s voice sounded sure, “But not anymore. His scent is fading.”

“Is there a way to track him down, princess?” Vaun asked her.

“I can try.”

Vesuvius put held her sword down, not feeling threatened in this place at all. Quinlan apparently sensed no danger, either. They were starting to think there was nothing here in this old building. It was just ruins. On the wall, there looked to be words or messages written in blood but the only one that could be read was written recently.

‘GOD CAN’T SAVE YOU’

The blood smelled fresh to Quinlan but there were no signs of any bodies unless the blood belonged to a victim that managed to get away from the one who wrote this message. That made him feel a bit on edge. The group checked upstairs, each room was empty and had no sign that anyone had been there. The floor was covered with a thick layer of dust that had not been disturbed. 

“I don’t think we’re on to anything here.” Vesuvius said, making sure to look all around them. No surprises seemed to be waiting for them anywhere, “Quinlan? Do you feel like anything is here?”

“No.” He was slightly annoyed, “Nothing worth looking for.”

“It was a waste coming here. Splitting into two groups poses a threat, anyway.” 

Bianca rolled her eyes and started walking away, “Power in numbers, right?”

“She’s right.” Vesuvius agreed, turned and looked into Quinlan’s eyes as he was staring back at her, “Maybe we should leave.”

“I’m going after Eichorst.” Aria started down the old hallway again, “Meet back in front of this structure in two hours.”

“Sounds like a plan to me.” Bianca answered for everyone.

Aria and Vaun left the building. Once Bianca, Vesuvius, and Quinlan were alone, the sound of footsteps echoed from the basement. Bianca was the first to run down the stairs. Quinlan was second, followed by Vesuvius.

They were stopped by a loud set of beeping, not having time to think before a small explosion rocked the area. Vesuvius went to jump out of the way of a falling beam but wasn’t quite quick enough. With her leg pinned, she gasped. Over the structure falling apart, she thought she heard her name.

She wasn’t expecting Quinlan to run and jump over her, catching a beam that was aiming to crush her. He was kneeling over her, the heavy rubble on his shoulders and upper back as he held it to keep it from crushing her. He was able to stand great amounts of weight but she wasn’t. He tossed the beam only to be knocked over by more rubble. His plan to use his speed to his advantage was a failed one. First, his own leg was pinned then something large fell over his back, pinning him down completely. It wasn’t until the dust cleared when he realized the awkward situation he was now in.

“It seems we have skipped a few steps…” He muttered, his face pressed against her breasts where he had been over top of her protecting her from the debris.  
She coughed a bit, gasping for air in the dust. Though she was pinned with a half breed on top of her, she didn’t feel any pain other than the dust and dirt in her eyes, “Oh my god, Q-Quinlan? Are you hurt?!”

“I do not feel any pain. I assume I am well for the moment, at least…” He turned his face to the side, laying on her breasts as if they were a pillow, “I was not expecting this when we started this little outing.”

He struggled to move from under the weight on top of his back. There was pain but nothing he couldn’t heal from.

“What the hell?!” Bianca moved the rubble to see what was going on, frantically trying to get debris off of Quinlan so he could get away from Vesuvius, “Oh, this is fucking bullshit. I can’t lift this shit!”

Vesuvius was able to freely move her left arm, the other was slightly held down by a bit of wood. She made an attempt with her free arm to help Bianca lift the rubble but failed.

She felt dizzy but this time she felt the pain in her head. Ignoring the awkward situation as best as she could, she tried to blink the dirt and blood from her eyes, “The others definitely heard that, they should be here to help pretty soon… At least I hope…”

“I’ll go get them! They can’t be too far gone!” The blonde took off, climbing out of the remains and left the two alone.

The quiet was too uncomfortable. Vesuvius felt she needed to say something after failing once more in moving the debris.

“Maybe we should have left with Aria. Or left sooner?”

“You have done nothing but annoy me since you arrived.“ 

“What? I haven’t done anything to you!”

“You simply exist. Not to mention your name is offensive.” Quinlan smelled the blood, it made him look up, “You’re bleeding. Your head.”

“I know. I’m fine, though…” The ache in her head told her she wasn’t fine but she wasn’t about to complain. Complaining about pain wasn’t something she had ever done in her life, she wasn’t even about to start now.

“I trust in Aria and Vaun to get us out somehow.” Quinlan closed his eyes and tried to wiggle his arm free, “Are you injured other than your head?”

“I… Don’t think so. Just pinned.”

“Good, good.” He tried, again and again, to lift the ruins off of his back but the pain was too much for him. It was fading, his body was beginning to heal already.

“Aria will come soon, right?”

“Yes. Just be patient.”

…

It was dark, cold, and quiet in this one area. The perfect place to go to when she wanted to be alone. Santorini sighed and finished cleaning her guns. It was nice to get away from everyone and go somewhere quiet. She was careful not to interfere with the strigoi sun hunters that were rumored to be down here.  
The guns were put in the holsters on her outer thighs and hips, then her favorite ones were holstered against her chest. Wearing a tank top down here wasn’t the smartest of ideas, it was freezing and dark. Maybe a flashlight would have been a good idea or a lighter. A lighter would have made her seem more badass than she really was. Yes, she would have to invest in a lighter next time they all went out.

‘Or! I can text Suvi! She can grab one on her way back!’ Her phone was taken out and she sent a quick text but frowned when she saw there was no signal, 

‘Oh, right. Phones are pretty much crap now.’ 

Ignoring the cold temperature, she walked to one of the doors in the room. Curiosity filled her, she hadn’t explored any deeper into the underground hideout. The young woman knew she would probably regret it but she opened the door and made her way down the steps. The scent of blood was in the air and it only became stronger after making it to a hallway. The muffled screams she thought she heard were ignored as she decided not to go near that area. She put her hand on a door that was already slightly cracked open. It shouldn’t be a problem looking in since it was already unlocked, right?

'Suvi and Atticus always said I’d be the douche rocket person walking into trouble in a horror movie. Can’t say she’s wrong, either! What’s behind door number one?’ She thought, happily. It was shut back rather quickly when she saw a group of strigoi, all asleep in what she wanted to call a nest. She recognized the symbol on the jackets some of them wore, 'Sleeping strigoi sun hunters, nope! Nope! All aboard the nope train!’

The door was quickly slid back to the way it was when she had found it. So, that was the creepiest thing she had ever walked in on. She should have turned around and ran back but she couldn’t. Something told her to keep going, her curiosity most likely. She felt like there was something down here that she needed to discover. What that something was, she had no clue. But she continued on in the dark. After finding another hallway, she walked down it. There appeared to be lights in the big room at the end, maybe someone she could talk to was in there. The long dark hall seemed to last forever. When Santorini stepped into the room she saw it was big, three figures in the center. They were moving, she realized. Then she noticed what they were, 'Yeah… Time to go…’

She turned around…

“What are you doing here?”

The figure caught her by her upper arms before she could actually run into him. The lights hit him and she saw he was tall, muscular, and very much a strigoi.

“I’m sorry, just wanted to see what was down here. That’s all.”

“Well, now you know.” He said, walking towards her, making her back up closer to the three figures, “Tell me… Do you have a death wish, girl?”

“No, why?”

“You walk so freely into their territory.” He growled, “No one escorting you… Do you have business here?”

“Not really.” She said, casually, “I was bored, finished cleaning my guns, thought I would explore.”

“Explore?” He asked. Her smile was irritating him as she was unafraid of the situation, “Someone as innocent as you should not be down here alone.”

“Innocent? I’m not innocent!” She yelled.

The strigoi growled, “I can smell your innocence, girl. I can smell your clean blood as well. You’re a rare one. But I have to ask…”

“Ask what?”

“Why are you not afraid?”

“Should I be afraid?”

“Very.”

“I’m not afraid because I know my sister will murder everyone here if anyone hurts me.” She said, bravely, “What’s your name?”

He looked her over, rolled his eyes and walked past her.

“Hey! I asked you a question!” She went to grab him but stopped.

“You should leave.”

“Why?”

“Leave and live or stay and be drained.” His voice was loud. 

Santorini pouted before she walked the long walk back above ground, to the suite. Surely her sister would be back soon.

…

“Wait, why were we here again?” Vesuvius asked, her speech a bit slurred.

“Vesuvius, what is the last thing you remember?” 

“I’m not sure…”

He was sure she had a concussion, “Try to stay still.”

“I’m trying.”

Quinlan managed to free his arm but could not move to reach for anything or push himself off of the woman beneath, “Damn it all…”

“Now what?”

“We wait.”

“Nice.” It was sarcastic, the way she said it. She rubbed the dirt from her eyes but there wasn’t much to be done for the bits that were already in there. Her eyes watered, leaving streams through the dirt on her face, “Ugh, all I want now is a shower.”

Quinlan chuckled, “Let's focus on getting out of this entrapment first, little one.”

“Uh huh…” Again, she blushed. With the dirt in her eyes, she closed them and stopped moving. Her breathing was slow and Quinlan couldn’t sense or feel that she was even doing so anymore. He wriggled up and put his ear to her chest, listening for a heartbeat. It was still going strong, thank God.

For a few moments he just listened to her heart. The sound was soothing, it calmed him down. He heard her head shift, she was looking down at him, "Have you ever been in a situation like this?“

"Not under fresh ruins caused by a hidden bomb while on top of an annoying woman? No.” He responded, resting his head against her again.

More silence…

An uncomfortable silence.

“Hang in there, we will make it.” He tried pushing against the rubble on top of him again, “Just don’t go to sleep. Sleeping with a concussion can be deadly. Stay awake.”

“I’m trying.”

“Just think of a way.”

“Have you heard of the game called twenty questions?”

“I… Have, yes…”

“We can play that to kill some time.”

As long as he could keep her awake.

“Alright. I suppose there is nothing better to do at the moment.”

She blinked to desperately sooth her dry eyes, “Can I ask where you grew up?”  
“No.”

“Can I ask who taught you how to fight?”

“No.”

“What about asking if you have a fam-”

“No.”

This man was going to be the death of her. Her head was hurting, he should pity her and play a game with her, right? She suddenly was so curious about him, “Can I ask one question and you answer?”

“…Fine. One question.”

She brushed more of the dirt and blood off of her face, “Have you ever been in love?”

He paused. That question was not what he had expected. Now he had memories playing through his head, giving him whiplash.

“Yes…”

“With who?”

“That’s two questions, dear.” He said, “Answer one question for me.”

“Alright.”

“Have you?”

“Have I what?” She asked, questioningly, her speech slurred even more.

“Have you ever been in love?”

She didn’t answer. Quinlan’s soft growls and purrs calmed her. It was a sound that was soothing yet terrifying but she loved it. If he kept up the sound, she would end up falling asleep, which did not sound like a bad idea considering how she wanted to kill time until they were found.

“Do not go to sleep, Vesuvius.”

“I’m not, I’m not.”

“You can sleep later, I promise you. Just not now.”

“Okay… I’m trying.”

 

Her eyes were begging to be kept closed from the debris in them. Her mind was tired, she had a head injury. Curiosity filled him again. Gently, he prodded into her mind.

_—- Atticus was laughing loud when he found the two little orange haired girls in the same positions he had left them in. They looked over the old, aged graffiti that was still visible on the fallen walls, “You two have been here for hours! Half of what this wall probably says… I won’t be able to tell you what it means until you’re older because it’s most likely adult oriented!”_

_“It’s just names of Gladiators and other warriors!” Santorini said rather happily, “This is awesooome!”_

_The three named off several names. Atticus put a hand to his chin in thought, “I wonder if Spartacus was ever here when was he alive… I can’t remember the dates he lived… Actually, I actually don’t think he ever came to Pompeii… Did he? No, no… I can’t remember. I don’t think he did…”_

_“Spartac- Wait! I thought that was just a show.”_

_“A show that Mom won’t let us watch 'cause we’re too little.” Santorini pouted but soon stood up with the stick she had found, pretending it was a sword, “I’m Spartacus!”_

_Vesuvius kept reading while Santorini started a play fight with Atticus, “This one’s name was Bellator Candidus.”_

_“Ah,” Atticus looked over her shoulder, “He defeated every challenger, man, and beast. You know he was powerful if he had that kind of reputation.”_

_“Suvi! You be him!” Santorini poked her with the stick, still pretending it was a sword. Vesuvius giggled and grabbed her backpack, using it as a shield against her little sister. The girl ran and picked up a stick so she could fight back, catching Santorini off guard and gently poking her belly with the end. The younger girl faked a dramatic fall with desperate hand motions, “Nooooo! I’ve been defeated!”_

_Vesuvius giggled again and held the stick up in the air, “The White Warrior, Bellator Candidus wins! Yay!”—-_

Quinlan chuckled, startling Vesuvius out of her sleepy state she was in, “W-what?! What is it?”

She hadn’t even felt him enter her mind, he was thankful for that. The born wasn’t sure what he expected to find in her head but it definitely wasn’t that. He hadn’t felt the urge to laugh in a long time, it felt good. He had felt this woman was very interesting in some way, now he knew, “It’s nothing.”

“Okay…” It became quiet and he looked up.

“Vesuvius?”

Her eyes were closed and she appeared to be very still. The born had lost countless people in his life but for some reason, he felt like he absolutely needed to save this woman.

“Quinlan? Vesuvius?” It was Aria.

“Aria!”

She pulled the smaller bits of rubble off of Quinlan, allowing him to push the heavier pieces off. He pulled Vesuvius up with him.

“She’s unconscious.”

“She was fine when I left!” Bianca screamed, “She’s faking. Slap the bitch, see if she wakes up.”

“Bianca, what the hell?!

"Just a suggestion.” Aria looked to Bianca and quickly slapped her across the face, “What the fuck?!”

“She has a head injury! What is wrong with you?”

“Obviously, I hate the stupid bitch.”

“Just shut up and let’s go.”

…

Pain was the first thing she felt before she even opened her eyes. It was not a welcoming feeling at all. It seemed bright in the room and she sensed she wasn’t alone.

“Welcome back!” Santorini was beside her.

Vesuvius saw she was on a sofa, they were all safe, “What happened?”

“What do you remember?”

“I… Don’t know.” She put a hand to her head, “Aria said she could smell a German guy had been at the building we were in…”

Across the room, Aria scoffed, “He smells like a pile of Nazi shit, too.”

“Then…” She thought but she couldn’t remember anything after that, “Nothing… I think Quinlan was there, talking to me? But… That can’t be right… He hates me.”

Aria ran a finger through her short hair, “He was there. Eichorst had set a bomb and Quinlan was pinned against you. His face was completely shoved against the boobage.”

“W-what?”

“It's funny, now. Now that we know you’re okay.”

Vesuvius closed her eyes. Her fingers touching the bandage around her head, the pain was mostly on the back of her skull. It almost felt like she had been scalped.

Footsteps were heard, then a voice she wasn’t sure she wanted to hear at that exact moment, “So, she survived.”

It was Quinlan.

Her honey eyes opened and looked at him. His steps were slow as he crossed the room, almost as if he was afraid he would scare her. It was a surprise when she felt a nervous wave flow over her when he tested his gaze on her.

“She doesn’t remember much of anything after she was hit on the head.” Aria said, crossing her arms with a concerned expression on her face.

“Really?” Quinlan looked at Aria then back to Vesuvius, “That’s a shame.”

“Why? What happened?”

Quinlan smirked for a split second before he turned and exited the room.

“Wait! Ah!” She gripped her head.

Santorini giggled, suppressing the urge to tell her sister she had done something embarrassing, “It was nothing. You did nothing. Just rest now.”

After the day she had, Vesuvius just wanted to curl up under a blanket and never come out.


	4. Chapter 4

“Two tracks  
Bric-a-brac  
Something passed between us  
Like a bad crack  
Upward-lit  
I’d met another kind  
Of rat  
In fact  
With every rome inside me  
Licked and ransacked  
She haunted at the corners of my mind”  
\- Cradle of Filth - Nymphetamine

 

…  
https://youtu.be/UeNQVUoxMnY  
…

 

It did not take Vesuvius long to heal, she was thankful for that. taking it easy wasn’t something she usually did. She was a little too excited when Aria asked her to train with her. Once they were there, she wasn’t expecting Quinlan to challenge her. The training room was dimly lit and filled with the sound of metal against metal. The noise had been echoing off the walls for a long while now.

“Jesus… How long have they been at it?” Gus asked Tori.

“Almost two hours.” She answered, still filming them on her camera, “My sister has never lost a fight since she became a professional at this crap. Atticus taught her well.”

“Quinlan is damn good too, bruh. I’m surprised she is still standing…” Gus shook his head, “He isn’t taking it easy on her, either.”

Quinlan had walked in and after making eye contact with Vesuvius, they took out their swords and started fighting each other. The born was surprised by how powerful and determined she was. It was very impressive seeing a female holding her own against him. She was definitely a worthy opponent.

‘Keep fighting, little warrior.’ A voice said in her head. He lunged forward, bringing the blade down where she quickly caught it before it could strike her. The red haired woman barely dodged his uppercut from his free hand, a grunt escaping her lips.

‘She’s getting tired.’ He noted, still full of energy, ‘She is starting to stumble over her movements.’

But she was clearly not giving up.

Quinlan could hear a voice in her head, the one named Atticus who had trained her. From what he could see from her memories, he was strict in his lessons. _'I am not always going to be there to protect you! You need to learn this to survive, Suvi!’_ His words were loud, stern, but not unloving, _'I am not losing you so we will train until you are the perfect weapon.’_

Vesuvius dodged Quinlan’s next attacks, catching his thrust. A kick to her chest, just hard enough to knock her back, caught her by surprise but she didn’t fall. She was too tough for that. Her sister and Gus watched anxiously on the sidelines as the fight went on for another thirty minutes.

 _'Extend your arms, baby girl. You won’t take anything down if you act like you’re scared to attack.’_ Her teacher’s voice filled her head again. _'Do not hesitate, your opponent won’t.'_

Quinlan saw she was panting quietly after quick, countless attacks from his sword. He did not stop but she caught each one, surprising him yet again. They paused, staring each other down. He held his sword up to defend himself, sure she was going to attack once more…

Vesuvius fell to her hands and knees with an exhausted, moaned huff. Tori gasped loud from where she stood with Gus, her hands flying over her mouth in horror, “B-but… She always wins!”

“Dios…” Gus shook his head, “There’s no way she is human. She should have fallen way before now…”

Vesuvius was still on her hands and knees, trying to catch her breath. She had always forced herself to keep going until she won but Quinlan was far more experienced, it seemed. She should have known better than to take on a hybrid. A gloved hand was held out before her and she glanced at it. Atticus spoke through her head again, _'You look up to no one, you hear me? You will not give anyone the satisfaction. The only person you look up to is the man you love.’_

Hesitantly, Vesuvius looked up at Quinlan. She was unaware he had heard her thoughts, seen her memories. Her hand slowly took his and he helped her to her feet, not breaking eye contact with her as he did so. 

'God, please don’t tell me I’ve fallen for someone who could give a fuck less about me…’ She scolded herself and forced herself to look down at his hand that still held hers, 'This gorgeous creature deserves someone as beautiful as he is, anyway.’

He frowned at her thoughts, wanting to tell her just how beautiful she was but decided against it. 

Her hand gently pulled away from his and she glanced back up to meet his gaze again before turning to walk out. Tori pranced along behind her and Gus walked up to Quinlan, “I saw that look…”

“Your point, Augustine?”

“Spend more time with her between missions. Get to know her better. You two have a freaky connection. I’d go for it, man. Not many people would go for something that drinks blood and looks like Powder but it’s clear she has the hots for you, Q. Bianca doesn’t even look at you like Vesuvius just d-”

Quinlan growled and sheathed his sword, “Just stop talking, boy.”

…

Santorini knew she was playing with fire, this was probably not her smartest idea but she wanted to go back and see the creepy guy with the sexy voice again.  
She carried a bag of her blood in her hands, it was still warm. Hopefully, he was there today. She couldn’t exactly leave it with a note, she did not know his name. Nobody else knew where she was, maybe it was a bad idea not to tell someone. Bad idea or not, she knew if she had told someone, they would stop her.

'Please be here…’ She thought.

She wasn’t even close to the big room when she heard a voice in the darkness, “You again?”

“There you are! I was looking for you!” A sweet smile crossed her face.

He was not happy but he did look curious, “Here I am. What do you want?” His voice was a bit snappy.

“You never told me your name. Mine is Santorini, everyone just calls me Tori, though.”

He was silent, looking her up and down. She was beautiful, he had to admit. Her voice always had a sing-song tone when she would speak. He noted that she didn’t scare easily either.

“Okay, well… I brought you something.” She approached him and held out the bag of blood, “Here.”

He blinked, confused, “What is this?”

“My blood!” Her voice was so happy.

“You offer me your blood…” He growled softly, untrusting, “For what purpose?”

“You seemed so interested in it yesterday and we are on the same side. I thought maybe I could help you out. It might not be a lot like you are used to at one time but it should help tide you over until your next victim is chosen.“ 

This female just shrugged off the fact that he would have to take someone’s life for a meal. The bag was gently placed against one of his hands, forcing him to take it. He could smell it through the bag and it smelled delicious. He managed to control himself for the time being. This female confused him…

“I should be off. I can come back later if you want more!” She raised a hand and waved cutely, “Bye for now!”

She skipped off, leaving him alone with the blood bag and a confused expression.

…

Aria’s moans became louder when Vaun rolled them over so she was on top. Her lips pressed against his, drinking in his growls of pleasure, “V-Vaun…”

“Come for me, princess.” He held her hips tightly as she came undone on top of him. He followed shortly after with a groaned purr.

Aria sighed happily in Vaun’s arms, placing her head on his bare chest. He ran his fingers over her back, a gentle kiss being pressed against her forehead.

“I love you.” She whispered, “So much.”

“I love you, too.”

“Hopefully your big brother didn’t hear us this time. I was as quiet as I could possibly be.”

“Even if he did, he is too distracted to think about it. My brother fancies Vesuvius.” He smirked against her hair, “Her skills have impressed him.”

Soft laughter escaped Aria’s lips at the thought of Quinlan being in love, “That seems very out of character for him.”

Vaun sighed a sad sigh and Aria looked up at him with confusion in her eyes.  
“He was married once.”

“He was?!” The woman lifted her head to look at Vaun’s face. She was sure he had been joking but his expression told her different, “You’re just now telling me this?! What happened?!”

“The master killed her along with her daughter that he had adopted and was raising as his own…” His voice was quieter, “I had a niece at one point that I was never able to meet. It was when he was known as Quintus Sertorius when this happened. He loved his wife and her child very much. It’s one reason he tries to distance himself away from people now.”

Aria placed her head back on his chest, softly and gently drawing her fingers over the scars there, “He doesn’t want to risk getting attached to someone only to lose them all over again…”

“Exactly.”

“But Vesuvius is strong. She knows how to fight and the worms do not have any effect on her at all, like me. He would be safe to love her…”

“Yes, but he needs to realize this on his own, princess.” 

“But he will sleep with Bianca-" 

"That was once when he severely needed a stress reliever.” 

Aria huffed, annoyed. Bianca had pissed her off more than a few times, especially when she calls her a kid. She swore she would rip the bitch’s throat out the first chance she got.

“One day, I swear…” She pouted a glare, “She’s going to be strigoi chow!”

Vaun kissed Aria, his hand trailing over her bare thigh, “We should rest, little one.”


	5. Chapter 5

“Night is coming and there’s nothing left to say  
Nothing changes, everything has gone away  
No eternity, no hope for me and you  
We close our eyes and we’re fading away”  
\- BlutEngel - No Eternity

…  
https://youtu.be/Mdh9MfUL-5k  
…

Quintus cleaned the white blood off of his blade, looking up at the cloud covered sky. Watching the rain around him made him think of his family. Tasa and Sura loved the rain, though Sura wasn’t very fond of thunder like her mother was. He smiled when he remembered how tough Sura acted until a storm came up, then she was right between him and her mother. Take thunder and lightning out of the picture and she would stand up for her family in a heartbeat without fear. Quinlan smiled, thinking of back when…

_—-Tasa hugged Quintus tight when they went inside after working on the farm. Her daughter had gone to play with the other children up the old road so they had plenty of time to spend together._

_“I honestly can’t put into words how thankful I am for you, Quintus.”_

_“I could say the same about you and the little love.” He smiled and kissed her, his fingers brushing through her hair, “You two are the best thing that has ever happened to me. Not once have you ever shown any fear towards me.”_

_“Little love thought you were an angel. Remember the day you saved us?”_

_“I do. It is a day I will never forget.” Quintus put his forehead against hers, “The day I met my goddess and her little love.”_

_The two were interrupted by crying, the door being pushed open. There stood their daughter, tears streaming down her face as she sobbed._

_“Little love?”_

_“What happened, Sura?!“_

_The two ran to the child, Tasa kneeling down in front of her. The child was covered in dirt and a small scratch was on her cheek._

_"I think I might be in trouble, Mommy…” The child sniffled._

_“Why?”_

_“I beat up three boys when they came and started making fun of me…”_

_Tasa took a rag and gently cleaned the little girl’s face, “What did they say little love?”_

_Another sniffle was given, “T-they said that me and you were just dirty slaves and that we weren’t going to be worth anything in life.”_

_The woman sighed and shook her head, “We are not slaves anymore, love. They just want to down on you because they aren’t treated well at home.”_

_“They also said new daddy was a demon and he would kill us…” She looked up at Quintus, “So I got mad and called them bullies. Then they pushed me. Then I punched their faces and kicked them in the jewels!”_

_“Atta’ girl!” Quintus said without thinking, quickly clearing his throat when Tasa shot him an angry glare, “I mean, you should know better than to hurt the weak little boys…”_

_Tasa stood to put the rag away and the dhampir and newly adopted daughter both smiled. He gave the little girl a pat on the back before the mother turned around to witness it._

_“They are just jealous, little love. Not everyone can have loving parents and a happy life. You should pity the ones who feel the need to torture those who do not deserve it.”_

_“I don’t get it…” She huffed._

_Quintus sighed, “Those who are not happy are miserable. They want to make those who are happy miserable so they will be happy.”_

_She thought it over for a moment, “Well, I’m not apologizing and they did start it but I do feel kind of bad for causing them even more pain…” She sighed this time and picked up her doll, “May I go take a nap before we eat lunch, Mama?”_

_“You may. Then, after we eat, we will all go for a walk. How does that sound?”_

_“Yay!” She hugged them both and went to bed, leaving the two alone. It wasn’t often Quintus stayed up during the day and he was looking forward to their walk._

_The two were rather anxious to start the walk after dinner. Tasa and Quintus walked hand in hand while Sura picked every wild flower she saw on the trail. The family of three made it to the small pond not far from their home and Sura placed the flowers on top, watching them float away._

_“Sura? Why did you put your flowers in the water?” Quintus asked, genuinely confused at her actions._

_“For the ladies of the water. I want them to have them. I saved two, one for you and one for Mommy.” She handed Quintus and Tasa each a flower._

_Curious, Quintus looked at his wife when Sura ran back to the water, “Ladies of the water?”_

_“She believes in women who live under the water. She says they have a fish tail instead of legs.” Tasa said, watching her daughter and shaking her head with a smile on her face, “She claims she has spoken with one.”_

_The born thought for a moment, questioning why such a creature sounded familiar to him. Had he heard of these beings before? Surely someone had mentioned one before. With a shrug, he looked back up at the pond, “My goddess?”_

_Tasa looked at him, “Yes?”_

_“I honestly do not think this body of water is big enough for those creatures.”_

_“She seems to think it is. She has a big imagination.”_

_Sura ran back with one wet flower in her hand and handed it to Quintus, “The small one said she wanted you to have this one. They like you and said you were their friend.”_

_“Did they, now?” He smiled, “Tell them I give them my thanks.”_

_The girl ran back to the water and Quintus put an arm around Tasa, watching the sun set.—-_

Quinlan missed his goddess and little love, ‘Mermaids, that was what they were called. Beautiful creatures that would treat humans the way they treated the oceans. If one treated the ocean with kindness and respect, one would be given such treatment. If one was cruel and evil to the sea, then they would be taken to the depths where they would die a horrible death. Sura loved those fantasy creatures as much as she loved to play in the water.‘ 

A sigh full of sorrow left his lips at the thought of Tasa’s embrace. It was something he deeply missed. It was a memory from so long ago, the feel of her arms around him was even starting to fade in his dreams when he would sleep.

'My goddess, I hope you and Sura are at peace.’ It was a thought that would stalk his mind at random during the day.

When Quinlan arrived back to his current home, he heard muffled arguing before he opened the door to the suite.

“You’re a fucking piece of shit, bitch! You kill one of our guys and Quinlan disappears the same day?!” He knew Bianca’s voice anywhere.

Then he heard Vesuvius, “I told you, I don’t know where he is! But your friend deserved it!”

“Don’t lie to me, you stupid cunt!”

He opened the door and walked in to see Bianca holding a broken bottle, pointing it towards the orange haired woman, “What’s going on here?”

“Quinlan! You’re okay!” Bianca ran to him and threw her arms around him. He caught her, greatly confused.

“Of course I’m fine…”

Vesuvius moved her braid over her shoulder, “She didn’t believe me when I said I did not know where you were.”

“Bitch! No one is talking to you, leave.” Bianca glared at her.

“Heh… As you wish.” Then she was gone, leaving the two alone.

Quinlan blinked once, “Answers?”

“She killed one of our men! In cold blood!”

“For no reason at all?” He tried looking into her head but she pulled away from him.

“Oh, what. You don’t believe me?”

“Childish drama is not needed for this conversation.” Quinlan growled, “Tell me what I want to know so this discussion can be over.”

Bianca turned and stomped out the main door, slamming it behind her. All of the childish drama with this group Gus had acquired, he’d had enough of it. He walked up the stairs and into the lounge.

There, Vesuvius and Santorini sat on the couch. The older sister’s pale hands gripped her own head and her breathing was uneven. Pain radiated from behind her eyes and the inside of her skull. It had nothing to do with the injury she had suffered, though she was feeling the pain from that as well. After an incident with one of the other human hunters, she was still trying to calm down. Thank God Gus came in when he did or the guy would have been dead.

“Suvi, I’m okay. I promise! No harm was done and he didn’t even touch me! Look!” Santorini stood up, twirling in a circle, “See? I’m okay!”

“What’s this?”

Santorini looked up from where she was kneeling in front of Vesuvius, “Mr. Quinlan… She’s… She just has a headache, a migraine.”

“Anything in particular bring it on?”

“Other than Bianca yelling at her? One of the guys touched me earlier and she lost it. I think that guy might be bleeding internally or something, she beat him up pretty bad…”

“I killed him. It was an accident.”

“You were protecting me. But I had the situation under control.”

“He was going to rape you, Tori.” She turned back to her sister and gently took her hands in hers. Quinlan watched as the younger moved the older one’s hair back out of her face and began to stroke her cheek, whispering in Latin. Soon, the older started whispering back and her breathing slowed to an acceptable pace. But her head was still pounding. She had walked in on one of the men she had seen fighting along side of Vaun and Gus backing Santorini against a wall, his hands moving to touch her waist. Her guns were out of reach, she was frozen in place. Anger had filled her entire being, Vesuvius did not even remember attacking the man. Once she realized she had him on the floor, bleeding from the nose and mouth, the damage had already been done. 

“Just stay calm. Don’t tense. We’re okay, I promise. Just breathe. I thought we were over these protective rages.”

“We were until some asshole decided he was going to take advantage of you.”

“Suvi, I’m okay.”

Vesuvius nodded and let herself gently drop onto her side on the couch, Santorini cuddling up with her after climbing up next to her.

Quinlan, knowing he shouldn’t, took the opportunity to look into the older sister’s head again…

_—“This place is scary! I don’t like it!” A young Santorini whined, holding her little camera as she hid behind her sister while they walked. The older did not seem afraid at all but remained cautious. It was dark, the area covered in old ruins. The place somehow looked familiar from quick glances._

_In front of them was their mother with the one known as Atticus. She was very intently studying a piece of paper._

_“They had quakes on such a daily basis, it was just a normal thing to them, I reckon.” The mother said to Atticus who responded with a nod of his head._

_“The mountain was ten times bigger before it erupted in 79AD.” He stated, “I should go back and take more pictures of the Odeion.”_

_“The theater district would have been amazing to witness back then.” The two adults continued on with their conversation as the girls had their own._

_“Suvi,” Santorini whispered, “It’s getting dark, what if ghosts are here at night?”_

_“I will protect you. I promise.” Vesuvius told her, “Just stay behind me.”_

_“Can we go back now? I don’t want a gladiator ghost to beat me up!”_

_“Oh, Tori.” Their mother said, kneeling in front of them both with a smile, “Don’t worry about the ghosts of gladiators. Even if there were any, they wouldn’t hurt you.”_

_Atticus sighed, crossing his arms and shaking his head, “That’s it. No more ghost stories for you. Not until you are older.”_

_“Aww…. But…”_

_“Nope, pouting will get you no where.”_

_She gave a pitiful pout and Vesuvius held her tight, “I’ll protect you from everything, even ghosts. Don’t be scared.”_

_With a sniffle, Santorini nodded, “Mmkay.”_

_“Why did you even come on this trip with us, Atticus?” Their mother laughed._

_“Why, for the public pornography, my good lady!”_

_“Atticus!” The woman laughed._

_Santorini peeked her head over Vesuvius’ shoulder, “What’s pornography?”_

_Their mother looked at Atticus, trying to keep a stern expression on her face, “See what you have done?”_

_“Well, little Tori. You like to film things, take some notes. When a man loves a woman, sometimes he films-”_

_“Atticus!”—_

Quinlan smirked at the memory, then his smirk darkened at the memories of his time as a gladiator. The women and men both, such moments were treasured memories considering not many wanted to be with him out of fear but then his wife came along. Quinlan turned and exited the room, walking into the bedroom he had claimed his own.


	6. Chapter 6

“If God is in the rain  
Please let it rain on me  
If God is in the rain  
Please let him down on me”

\- Suicide Commando - God Is In The Rain

…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ft5_PughEIA

…

This was meant to be a mission to find supplies, to survey the area. No one in the group expected to actually see the master. ‘A happy accident’ Aria had called it. Only Aria, Vesuvius, Fet, Quinlan, and Vaun had not expected this at all. Now, here they were chasing the master up the stairs of an old club. With strigoi jumping at them from every angle, it was hard to keep up. Quinlan and Aria fell behind and Vesuvius ran behind Vaun after the two screamed for them to keep going, not to let the master escape.

Vesuvius wasn’t as fast as Vaun, “Don’t you have some sort of vampiric speed or something you can use?”

“This is not a video game, girl. I do but I refuse to leave you behind.”

“Just go! I’ll catch up!”

Vaun growled and ran faster up the stairs, coming to the top floor. More than a few rooms greeted him. He kicked the door to the first one open and discovered an area that looked like an office. It was empty of any strigoi and the master was nowhere to be seen. The sun was out and shining through the windows, there weren’t too many places to hide. They were just lucky they had managed to chase him into a well-lit place during the day. Vaun couldn’t help but smile at the thought of the master being a bit careless in how he moved and where he went.

He moved to the second room as Vesuvius made it to the top of the steps, “Check the third room.”

She nodded, watching him kick the second door open. When she went to the third, she simply opened the door. As luck would have it, the master stood before her. He aimed to sting her but she threw herself to the side just in time to dodge it.

“Tell me, young one.” The master sneered, “Why do you smell so sweet?”

“W-what kind of question is that?” She dodged his stinger again but barely, making a mental note to thank Atticus when she saw him next. His training was paying off. Another attack with his extended tongue and she fell backward into a pile of broken glass beside the work desk, cutting her hand. It wasn’t much blood at all but it made the monster before her smirk.

“What are you? I’ve smelled your blood type before.”

“Yeah, I bet you have.” She was questioning why he was toying with her. If he had truly wanted to kill her, she’d be dead by now. What was he waiting for?

Vesuvius sat in the sun beam that shone through the broken window, watching him as he stepped as close to her as he possibly could without stepping into the light. A sudden shriek left him when Vaun entered the room and shot him in the back. Before a second shot could be made, three strigoi jumped on him, his gun falling from his grasp. While the master was distracted by the pain from the shot, Vesuvius kicked his feet out from under him. He was half in the sun light when she raised her sword to end it.

“You kill me, you kill the born!”

“What?” She stopped, “Quinlan?”

“He is part of me as I am part of him. I die, he dies.”

She hesitated and the master used it to his advantage, jumping up and grabbing her around the neck and forced against the concrete wall. There was a high pitched noise in one of her ears and pain erupted over her back, making her think it had been broken. She could not breathe, this was not how she had expected to die. His stinger emerged and she closed her eyes.

But a shot was heard and she was thrown to the desk, hitting against it hard. Pain radiated from her lower back and she screamed. She heard the fight in front of her but couldn’t keep her eyes open for the pain. Everything sounded like it was underwater for a moment. Concentrating on simply breathing, she managed to open her eyes before she slowly moved. Her back wasn’t broken but she was sure there would be one hell of a bruise there later, by the way it felt. Now on her feet, she leaned against the wall and took in deep breaths. So, note to self, the master was crazy strong. Her balance was steadied and she looked up, seeing Quinlan.

“Why did you not take the shot?!”

Her gold eyes looked up to see his furious face looking down at her as she was the lowest of scum, “You would have died!”

“Of course I would have died. My entire life has been dedicated to killing the master. You had the perfect chance and now he’s gone.” He then turned and left her on the cold concrete, furious as he went to track the monster down once more.

Cold hands were on her cheeks and when she looked up she saw her newest friend looking down at her, “Are you okay?!”

“I’ll survive.” Vesuvius replied.

“Come on, let’s get you back. Fet was injured too. We need to look over the both of you and get you checked out.”

Vesuvius wasn’t surprised when pain shot through her back but she managed to walk on her own, hoping Aria hadn’t noticed. But the other woman had noticed yet said nothing.

“Quinlan yelled at her?!” Santorini yelled then lowered her voice when she saw Vesuvius flinch.

“Did I stutter?” Aria whispered back.

Santorini clenched her fist and turned to glance at Vesuvius. She was still sitting at the table with her head in her hand, eyes closed.

“The disk shifted in her back but it should heal with rest.” Eph helped her move into a more comfortable position after examining her. They had forced her to take pain killers and now that her body was relaxed, for the most part, she was giving in to sleep.

The door opened and Dutch walked in, taking off her jacket.

“Where the hell have you been?” Aria asked.

“Out. What happened here?”

“The master happened.” Eph answered, “With some other things that seem to be slightly complicated.”

Vesuvius stood up but sat back down as dizziness took her over. The pain killers she had been given were the strong ones.

Aria stood up when she heard a door slam shut, followed by a loud, “You son of a bitch!”

“What the hell?” Dutch seemed confused but followed Aria out.

Santorini had approached Quinlan when he walked in and was up in his face, “If I knew I could win, I would beat the crap out of you right now.”

“And why would you try to do such a thing, Miss Fausta?”

“After yelling at my sister!”

Quinlan sighed and rolled his eyes, dodging a punch from the petite woman.

“Wait, what?” Dutch looked at Quinlan, “What the hell happened while I was gone?!”

“You better sleep with one eye open.” Santorini continued

“She had the perfect chance to kill the master.”

“And she didn’t because she found out it would kill you too! She fucking cares about you! Here, let me put it to you bluntly. You’re familiar with ancient Rome, yeah? You’re no better than Emperor Nero.”

“You dare compare me to such a monster?!”

“Okay, break it up!” Dutch stood between the two, pointing to Santorini, “You, come with me. You need to calm down.”

Santorini pouted angrily but followed Dutch across the lounge. Aria looked up at Quinlan, “Vesuvius always protects Tori and stands up for her. She tries to return the favor but it kind of bad at it. Vesuvius isn’t dwelling on you yelling at her.”

“Are you going to tell me to apologize?”

“No.” Aria looked up at him with her one teal eye, the other covered with the eyepatch, “She has already forgiven you. Not to mention, she is angry at herself for letting the master get to her. She feels horrible. The disk in her back was slightly injured but Eph said she would heal with rest.”

The door opened and Vesuvius slowly walked out, almost running into him. The medication was making her move rather slow, “Quinlan?”

“Vesuvius…”

“I’m sorry, next time will be different.” She moved past him but he grabbed her arm, “Huh?”

“I should have told you about the connection I have to the master. My soul is linked to his…”

“You’re not the one in the wrong here.” She forced a smile for him, “I’m going to read or something.”

“Suvi.” Aria shook her head, “You need to rest.”

“If I lay down, I won’t be getting back up.”

“That’s the point. Come with me.” She led her to one of the back rooms. The twin sized bed seemed a bit too fluffy but she figured Aria would knock her out and throw her on it if she did not start taking it easy at this very moment, “No one will bother you. I’ll keep an eye on Tori, now rest.”

A nod was given and she slowly sat on the bed. Aria pulled the boots off of her friend's feet and dropped them into a chair on the other side of the room. Vesuvius tried to thank her but the meds were taking over her mind. Eph must have given her the good shit. He probably knew she wouldn’t rest without it. She was already out when Aria pulled her belt off as well as her pants, folding them and placing them on the chair with her boots.

“Sleep well, Suvi.”

Outside in the lounge, Dutch sat with Santorini. The two were speaking softly, taking selfies and the younger Fausta sister seemed to be calm now. Aria approached the two, giving Dutch a smile before looking to Santorini, “Walk with me? I want to talk to you.”

“Mmkay.” She gave Dutch a quick hug and bounced off the sofa to follow Aria out into the hallway, “Is my sister okay?”

“She’s okay. I’ve got a question and it may sound a bit weird.”

“Okay.”

“Are you and your sister human?”

Santorini stopped walking and looked at the ground, not saying anything. Her fingers tapped at her camera, hinting she was deep in thought. She appeared to be in distress, “Uh…”

“It’s okay, you can tell me. No one else is in range of hearing us. ”

“I’m human, but Suvi is not… It skips a few generations… But she doesn’t know, we didn’t want her to know yet. Not until everything plays out the way it’s supposed to…”

“Now we are getting somewhere.”

“Well… It goes like this… But don’t tell anyone, k?”

…

The room was lit by only one lamp but the born could see perfectly when he walked in. Vesuvius was still where she was asleep on the bed. For a long time, Quinlan just watched her and listened to her soft breathing. It was comforting to sit near her and he wasn’t sure why. He hadn’t felt such a relaxing feeling since Tasa, his goddess.

Slowly, he took out his gladius and ran the blade over his finger. The wound was deep and caused his white blood to flow out. Her head was turned towards him and tilted back, his thumb gently opened her mouth just enough so his blood would drip onto her tongue. The master and the ancients could heal others with just one drop but Quinlan had to use more. He just prayed she didn’t taste it and wake up. Eph had given her pain killers strong enough to keep her knocked out for several long hours, she would feel better than normal when she woke up. His hand lingered on her hair for just a moment before he got up and left.

…

Santorini walked through the dark hallways, another bag of her blood in her messenger bag. She saw the strigoi sitting on the cold floor with his back to the wall. He looked weak, tired.

“Hey, you alright?” She ran to him.

His eyes looked up at her slowly, “You again…”

“Yeah, me again. I brought you another bag of my blood…” Looking him over, he didn’t seem to be feeling well, “What’s wrong?”

He gave no answer.

“Here.” She took the bag of blood out and handed it to him, “It’ll make you feel better. At least, I think it will.”

There was no time to react when his stinger shot out and latched onto the bag in her hands. He drained it quickly, sucking it dry.

“Hey, hey! You okay?” She reached out and gently touched his head but he jerked back with a growl.

“I’m fine…” He snapped, eyes wide. His hands quickly pulled the hood of his jacket over his head.

It was almost as if he were in pain, the way he was acting. Unsure of how to help him, Santorini just sat in front of him. She placed her hand on his knee and he froze.

“What’s wrong?” The look in her eyes, it was a genuine concern. Looking into her mind, he saw she was actually worried for his well being.

No female had ever willingly spent time with him before. Hell, no one had ever willingly given him their blood before, either. How was he going to tell her that her blood was so amazingly delicious that he was unable to drink any other kind? He had been suffering since he tasted her blood, draining countless humans only to find it did not help his hunger.

“Just stay calm and breathe. You’ll be okay! Do you need more blood?” She leaned forward and put her hands on his cheeks, “If you didn’t have worms, I would let you drink from me right now.”

“I am a dhampir… There is nothing of the sort inside of me…” His voice was raspy. He shut his eyes, “You should leave before I do something horrible to you.”

“But…”

“Now!”

Santorini ran and he was still. Damn the humans and their part in this war…

_'Why do you push her away?’_

_'She is pure, innocent. There is something about her…’_

_'You are half human, are you not?’_

_'I am…’_

_'Unlike Vaun and Quintus, you have never made an attempt to get close to a human.’_

He growled at the ancients, yelling as loud as he could, “Humans are fragile! Weak! What would the three of you know about humanity and their feelings?! You three have never encouraged such things before!”

 _’You dare raise your voice at us?’_ One voice said inside his head.

A second was heard, _’We know more of human emotions than you would expect, young one. Your human side craves attention. Feed it.’_

 _’You have never tried getting close to a human. For your sake and sanity, you should spend time with this female.’_ The third spoke up, _’You may be surprised at the result.’_

__'Though you will not forget that you belong to us.’_ _

_“Damn it…”_


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapters are going to get longer as I go. Yay for AUs.

“All I want is to fulfill  
Praise my mission, bless my will  
If you kill me, break my neck  
Seven times I’ll resurrect”

\- In Strict Confidence - Seven Lives

…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cACIE4_kzNo

…

“Fet!” Both Fet and Vesuvius jumped when they heard the old man call out his name, “Mr. Fet! It’s gone!”

“Gone?” Fet asked.

Setrakian truly looked as if he were about to have a massive heart attack on the spot. His breathing was fast, hands shaking, “My book!”

“The lumen?” Vesuvius asked, sitting up on the couch where she had been resting, “How do you know he took it? The lights…”

“Suvi, girl! Feel better?”

“I do… A lot better, actually… Better than I did before I was even hurt.” She twisted with her elbows out and discovered there was no pain at all. She had been exhausted before from lack of rest but now she felt as if she had been completely refreshed. It was weird and unexpected, “Eph must have given me some kick ass pain killers…”

“The meds he gave you never helped me that much… Maybe I didn’t take enough.”

“Back on subject, you two!” Setrakian yelled.

Fet and Vesuvius both looked up and spoke at the same time, “Sorry.”

“He can stand the lights but for a short amount of time, correct?” He wasn’t wrong, Quinlan was able to stand the UV lights in small amounts. There was nobody else here who was able to pick such intricate locks.“

"I told you.” Fet half yelled, “A half strigoi is still a strigoi!”

Vesuvius huffed in annoyance. Quinlan didn’t seem like the type to go behind the professor’s back and steal the book. Revenge was his life mission, after all. Something like this should have been expected.

“I slipped a GPS tracking device into the binding.” The exterminator had a smile covering his face, nodding his head.

“Then in the name of all that is holy, let us go get the son of a bitch!”

She was the first one out the door, Santorini was out like a light and would be for a good while. She was safe here, no one would bother her. Fet followed close behind her going down the stairs, nearly falling over her several times. At the bottom of the stairs, they nearly ran into the professor who had taken the elevator and beat them down.

“Well, if I knew the elevator was faster, I would have just ridden that down.” Fet started.

“No time to talk!” Setrakian grabbed them both and shoved them towards the door. He was anxious and determined to get to Quinlan as soon as possible. She jumped in the back and the professor jumped in the front with Fet, all three of them watching the GPS even after he started the vehicle. She was sure Fet was going faster than the speed limit advised but still, everything seemed like it was happening in slow motion.

“It’s heading out of the safe zone.” Fet broke the silence then looked at Setrakian, “You alright?”

“I will be if you’d drive faster!” Apparently, she wasn’t the only one who felt that way, “Revenge has clouded the Born’s mind.”

She looked in her bag she had grabbed, aiming to get her gun out but grabbing her sister’s camera instead, “Damn it, Tori! I grabbed your bag, not mine… Shit…”

“Everything alright back there, Suvi, girl?”

“I grabbed my sister’s bag!”

“Good thing I brought these.” Fet held up a box with silver grenades in them.

If Santorini knew she grabbed her bag, she would flip. Maybe she wouldn’t notice and they would all get back before she woke up. Quickly, she put her orange hair up in a tight braid, twisting it into a bun on top of her head so it would not get in the way if she was in for a fight. Vesuvius had a soft spot for Quinlan, a major soft spot. She wouldn’t admit it to anyone out loud, of course. The repetitive prayer silently repeated itself in her head, asking anyone and everyone of every religion to keep Quinlan safe and alive. Fet slamming the breaks caught her attention and handed her one of the grenades. She made sure to keep her silver sword by her side and left the bag in the vehicle.

Fet surveyed the area and held a hand up for the other two to remain still. Everything was quiet except for the occasional cricket. It was almost too quiet until a sound echoed throughout the area.

“Sounded like gunfire!” The exterminator motioned for them to follow him ahead towards the sound. They all stopped when Fet saw some familiar faces.

“It’s my Navy Seals!” He beamed happily, “Hey guys!”

“Fet, no!”

“Fet!”

“What?” He turned to look at the other two before looking back at his team as they ran into the halo of a street light. That was when he saw they very clearly were not on his side anymore. Their faces were pale, their eyes had changed, and the low growls sent chills down his spine, “They’ve been turned!”

Fet had considered these men his friends as well as his partners and now, here they stood before him, corrupted by the very thing they were hunting. He wasn’t close to them but he felt a small wave of sadness wash over him. They raised their guns and the three saw who they were shooting at.

“It’s Quinlan!” Fet gasped.

Vesuvius covered her mouth when she saw the born was being shot. Fet joined her when she ran to attack the men he had once called his friends, helping her take them down. The master appeared to be satisfied, watching the turned soldiers shooting his son. One toss of a silver grenade took care of them.

“Mr. Quinlan!” Setrakian yelled.

Quinlan saw the second silver grenade and quickly shielded himself from the blast. The explosion of silver hit the master and his pained growls filled the air. Without a second thought, Quinlan took his gladius and sliced it through the monster’s neck, decapitating him with one clean cut.

“H-he did it!” Vesuvius yelled.

Fet smiled and looked to the professor, “He’s dead.”

Slowly, Quinlan fell to the ground. Again, everything seemed to happen in slow motion.

“Quinlan! Quinlan, no! Please wake up!” Vesuvius cradled him in her arms, desperately trying to decipher if he were dead or alive, “Quinlan! Wake up! Please! Don’t leave!”

Every memory she had of him flashed through her mind and she found herself trying to remember the last thing she said to him before this happened. Her fingers stroked his face as tears poured from her eyes.

“Quinlan…” She whispered.

A hand on her shoulder made her look up. There stood Vaun with a sad smile on his face, “He is alive but there has been some damage. He needs to heal, to rest. Let me move him for you.”

Tears blinded her vision as she nodded. It took everything in her to let go of him. Thankfully, Aria was there to take her into her arms. She whispers words of comfort to her friend, “Sorry, we’re late.”

“At least you’re here.”

“Suvi, he’s alive. He needs us to be strong, okay? He needs us to be strong right now.” She whispered and stroked her hair, “Trust me, okay?”

Vesuvius nodded and took a deep breath while watching Vaun lift Quinlan off the ground. Aria helped her get her bearings enough to walk. She was patient because she knew she would be the same way if it were Vaun.

“He will be as good as new very soon, I promise.”

…

Everything was dark, Quinlan wasn’t sure what was going on. He seemed to be floating when…

“Quintus…”

Quinlan turned his head and felt his feet hit the floor, making him stumble to his knees.

“Quintus, it’s really you!”

Quinlan smiled. Tasa was as beautiful as the starry night sky. She was smiling at him and held her arms out to which he ran to her. He began clinging to her as if his life depended on it. Her arms felt like home, she was perfect, “My goddess…”

“Quintus.” She said, gently pulling away.

“What is it?”

“Your father is still alive, this is more or less a near death experience.”

He frowned but found himself smiling once again when his adopted daughter ran to him and flung her arms around his legs, “Little love!”

“Second Daddy!” She giggled when he picked her up and held her, “We are okay now!”

“I hope so…”

His daughter hugged him tight and began ranting about how she missed him. He felt so content to just stay here with these two. They were at peace. After all these years without knowing, he felt he was able to move on from the question he asked himself constantly.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there to help either of you that night…”

The dark haired lady smiled, “It was not your fault at all, my love.”

“It’s not your fault!” The child repeated, “So don’t be sad!”

A male figured walked up to his side and watched him, curiously. He held a hand out to Quinlan with a big smile on his face, “Quintus Sertorius, thank you for taking care of my wife and daughter. They would not have survived as long as they did if you hadn’t found them.”

So this was his wife’s first husband, his daughter’s father. Quinlan nodded and gripped his hand in a friendly handshake, a smile on his lips.

“I really am eternally grateful to you, my friend.” He continued, “It is an honor to finally thank you face to face.”

“They were the first to show me love, to show me what it was like to be part of a family.” Quinlan whispered, “They saved me in more ways than one.”

“Quintus, you will be given the chance to break your connection with your father. You will be offered a contract by someone close to you. When that time comes, take it.” The man said, “You have a destiny that lies after the master’s destruction, friend.”

His dead wife smiled and kissed him, “You need to go back to Vesuvius. Unlike me, she was made for you.”

“My goddess…”

“I know it’s hard, love. But we are safe now, and happy.” She smiled again, “We check in on you from time to time, making sure you are alive and well.”

Quinlan held his wife and child close, not wanting to part with them again. A sob caught his attention and he turned around to see himself. He saw his body, naked on a table. Everything important was covered up and his wounds were bandaged. Over him was Vesuvius, crying softly. She was very still, whispering, “Please… Come back.”

Aria walked through his ghostly form and sat beside Vesuvius, “Vesuvius, it could take a while before he wakes up. Won’t you come eat?”

“Please, Suvi?” Santorini walked up behind her and wrapped her arms around her, “You have to eat something.”

Vesuvius shook her head and sighed.

“I’ve been watching her for quite a while, as well. She will play an important role in your life. You need to stop pushing away how you feel for her.” Quinlan’s wife stood in front of the scene before him and kissed him once more, “You have to go back.”

“But… I love you… Goddess… And you, little love.”

“And we love you so much. But Quintus… Focus on this new goddess, my angel. Now, go. We will always be with you. Do not be afraid.”

He felt as if he were falling and his wife and child faded before he could say goodbye…

…

He woke up with a loud gasp. His body was very still and limp but his white blood was pulsing in his veins rather quickly. It almost felt like a severe anxiety attack flowing through him. He ached all over and felt severely weak, it wasn’t a feeling he enjoyed at all. She held him steady and sat patiently, calmly waiting for the initial shock of everything to fade, “I’m alive…”

“Quinlan, you’re okay. I’ve got you.” Vesuvius whispered, “Everything is alright.”

Slowly, he began deep breathing to slow his heart rate. The entire time he gazed up into her eyes.

“Vesuvius…” He whispered again.

She smiled, “Quinlan! I was so scared for you…”

Quinlan could not figure out for the life of him how he survived, "The master?"

"Um, well... Strakian wants to talk to you about that."

...

Santorini walked back down underground to find the dhampir she had been trying to befriend lately. He was acting ill when she had last seen him.

“You’re back.”

She turned at the sound of his voice, “Do you feel better?”

“Tell me, why do you constantly seek me out?”

“Because I like you.” She smiled that damned sweet smile he was starting to love, “You’re a cutie!”

“Humans… And their emotions…”

“Aren’t you half human?”

He growled at her, “That part of me is dormant, and I am glad. Humans are nothing but slaves to their desires-”

Santorini interrupted him, gently pulling him down into a kiss. He was in shock at the feelings that grew inside of him. His desire for her skyrocketed and he felt he needed more. When she pulled away, she smiled up at him.

“You were saying?”

He was in shock, stunned, unable to speak. Why was this female so brave?! Why was she so determined?! Why was she so… Beautiful?!

“You should look into being human for once. It’s not all that bad you know.” She giggled and went to leave.

“Lar…”

Santorini turned back around, “Huh?”

“My name is Lar.”

…

Quinlan was up and moving when Santorini came back. He was standing, looking at notes from the Lumen with just a pair of pants on when she walked in. Her older sister was on the couch behind him, taking a cat nap and Aria was sitting in the chair on the other side of the room with her legs thrown over the arm. In her hands was a book, in her mouth was a lollipop.

“Well, we’re a lively bunch, today…” She said with a laugh. She pulled her camera out of her bag and took a picture of everyone. Quinlan did not even acknowledge she was there, Vesuvius opened her eyes and looked up, and Aria held two fingers up on one hand to pose for the picture without looking away from her book, “So lively.”

Santorini flopped down beside Vesuvius, rested her head on her shoulder, browsing through the pictures on her camera she had recently taken. Vesuvius rested her head on top of her sister’s, “Where have you been?”

“Exploring.” Was her answer, not looking up from her camera. She held it up and took a selfie with her then took several pictures of Quinlan and Aria, “It was fun.”

“Please be careful. I don’t want to lose you.”

Santorini adjusted her shirt which sported an anime character on the front then took her jacket off, “I’m careful, I promise.”

The room was silent for a long while, nobody said anything. Nobody wanted to speak. It was starting to make Santorini feel overly anxious. She could feel her tummy tightening with anxiety, sighing loudly. But no one reacted. Vesuvius dozed off again, Aria was still reading, and Quinlan was still studying papers. This is boring, everyone was boring today. So, she broke the silence.

“So, Quinlan. Didn’t know you had all that hidden under the shirt and jacket.”

Aria’s eyes shot up from her book, aiming her gaze at Quinlan before laughing loud. Vesuvius was awake instantly, “Tori…”

“What? We were all thinking it, I just said it. Elephant in the room kind of thing.” She looked proud of herself.

Santorini declared her mission a success when Vesuvius began to blush light pink on her cheeks. She loved picking on her sister and knew she had some sort of feelings for Quinlan. After all of the bad they just went through with him being shot and nearly dying, she wanted them to get together. So, why not point out the obvious?

“You know Suvi has a nice body, too.”

“T-Tori!”

The door slamming open made all the women in the room jump. No one was expecting the figure who stood there. Aria blinked, confused, “Lar?”

A smirk formed on Quinlan’s face, “The ancients decided to let their lapdog roam free for a bit?”

He earned a hard glare from the sun hunter, “Do not mock me.”

“Lar…?” Vesuvius had not met this one yet. His red eyes shot his gaze in her direction, curiously looking her up and down. It was obvious this woman was the older sister Santorini spoke of. She had the same protective aura Quinlan had at times.

“He’s a sun hunter for the ancients and a born, like Quinlan. He usually stays and guards the ancients…” Aria answered.

“Hiii, Lar!” Santorini said in a sing-song voice, “You came to me this time, I’m surprised!”

“That I did.”

Santorini smiled, looking at the others in the room who all had their gazes rested on hers, “What?”

“Holy crap, you and Lar?” Aria lifted her eye patch, revealing her golden eye as she watched the younger sister, “Never would have predicted that.”

“You’re seeing someone?!” Vesuvius blinked, “Why did I not know this?!”

“Ohhh, I uh… Kind of forgot to mention it? It just happened recently?”

“Oh, Tori. Just be safe about it. You’re still a virgin, I hope…”

“Right now,” She laughed, “Their kind don’t have dicks, Suvi.”

“Thank God…”

Aria cut in, “Actually… Lar is like Quinlan and Vaun, he is only half… So… He has… The equipment.”

“Really? Sweet! I might not die a virgin in this apocalypse, after all.”

“Tori…”

It was quiet again, too quiet. Lar broke the silence, “Santorini, I wish to speak with you. Alone.”

“Mmkay.” She bounced up and led him back into one of the bedrooms.

Vesuvius started to stand up and protest, she had made a promise to protect her little sister from everything! That included the male gender. But this man wasn’t a human and she knew nothing about him. She wasn’t so sure she was wanting them to be alone, even though they had been seeing each other alone several times now, apparently. If he was one of the ancients body guards, then that meant she had been going underground! But she was still alive, most likely because of this Lar guy. She just could not afford to get pregnant at a time like this.

“Another thing.” Aria looked to Vesuvius, “They are all sterile, don’t freak out.”

“Sterile… Okay. That’s… That’s good.” She just hid her now darkened cheeks behind her hair, “Then, should I just ignore what’s most likely going to happen in the other room?”

“Lar won’t hurt her, Su. She’s safe with him. Trust me.”

…

“Soooo, whatcha here for?” Santorini asked Lar with a gentle smile on her face.

His red eyes watched hers, feeling the loving energy radiating from her very soul. He had never been with anyone willing and had no idea how to initiate such a thing. How was one supposed to show love? At least, he had confirmed what he felt was love. It was a new feeling he wasn’t accustomed to. It frightened him because it was new. All he wanted to do was protect her, keep her safe from harm. Suddenly, he felt horrible for his past victims. After Vaun found Aria again, everyone stopped with their brutal ways.

“You okay, Lar?”

“I’m fine.” He looked her up and down, “I’m not very skilled at being human.”

“I gathered that much.” She giggled, “You’re still a cutie.”

“I… You…” He had never been at loss for words, not like this, “I want to be human, with you.”

Santorini smiled and gently cupped his cheeks. She pulled him down, standing on her tip toes so she could kiss him. This time it was a real kiss. He was very still at first. Slowly, he placed his hands on her hips and pulled her against him. The kiss deepened, he memorized the way she tasted. It was nice, kissing was. He had never experienced this before. Nor had he ever gone slow and gentle with anyone he had taken in the past.

She pulled away and his mouth was instantly on her neck, biting the skin there, “Gentle, Lar.”

He stopped, struggling. But he managed to try this gently and succeeded. When a quiet moan escaped her lips, he stopped all movement. The sound was beautiful, he had to make her do it again…

Lar softly traced over the same spot with his stinger and she moaned louder, putting a leg over his hip. He picked her up and held her against the wall, pulling both of her legs over his waist, “This might be over sooner than expected if you keep doing that, Lar.”

“Say my name again…”

“Lar…” She smiled and his mouth kissed hers, hard. Her hands crept under his jacket and shirt, touching his bare skin there, He became still for just a moment before continuing, reminding himself to move slow. Santorini moved her hands down to unbuckle her belt, sliding her pants and panties off, quickly pulling her shirt over her head. Lar growled, watching her make slow work of taking the bra off of herself. The last article of clothing had not even hit the floor when he lifted her off the ground and pressed her back against the wall once more.

She was as quiet as possible when he reached between her legs and gently ran a finger over her clit. Focusing on her breathing seemed to help keep her silent until he quickly entered a finger inside of her. Her hand covered her mouth after she cried out.

“L-Lar… Pleeeease…” His movements became rough again and she closed her eyes, “Slower… Please…?”

He nodded, running his tongue over her lips. Her head dropped to the side, revealing her neck to him. Slowly, looking into her eyes, his stinger emerged and gently pierced her neck, drinking from her. While doing so, Lar unfastened his belt and let his pants drop to his knees. He took hold of himself, ran his hard cock over her slit and pushed it into her. His stinger retracted back into his body, somehow he was able to control his thirst. The embrace she had around him became tighter and his name became a chant. He sensed she was in pain for a quick moment and paused.

“Tori…”

“Lar, please…”

He moved in and out, holding her against him. She hid her face in his neck, muffling her moans. Lar exhaled slowly. The feel of her around him was perfect. The jacket he wore was being unzipped, he looked down and Santorini was placing kisses on his chest. Every now and then she would nip at his skin with her teeth. A trail of kisses was placed from his chest to his neck, then to his lips. He gripped her against him so her chest was touching his. He longed to hear her scream but with the others just in the other room, he could deal with just hearing her quiet gasps for now. Picking up the pace, he looked into her gold eyes again and they both found they could not break their gaze. They both climaxed together. He looked her over before holding her against him again.

“Tori…”

“Lar.”

He placed her on her feet, “Next time, I will make sure scream my name.”

“That better be a promise.”

…

In the other room, the door opened and quick footsteps were heard. Bianca walked in and wrapped her arms around Quinlan’s neck. He seemed annoyed but no one said anything. Vesuvius stayed in her spot on the couch, eyes closed. Aria continued to read her book.

“They said you were hurt while I was gone with Gus.”

“I’m fine.” He shuffled out of her hold then pat her on the head before going back to his notes. His intense gaze never left the pages, he was concentrating so hard.

“They said you were shot.”

“I was.”

“But I see no wounds.”

“You’re not going to.”

Vesuvius opened her eyes and looked at Bianca, “Eph said he heals really fast-”

“No one is talking to you.”

“Okay.” She closed her eyes again and rested her head back on the arm of the couch.

“Why are you even still here? You aren’t useful for anything at all.”

Vesuvius cracked open an eye and sighed. For the life of her, she could not figure out what she had done to make Bianca hate her so much, “I’m going for a walk.”

“Quinlan and I would appreciate that very much.”

So that was it, Bianca had a thing for Quinlan. Somehow, she had missed this little fact. If she had known they were a thing, she wouldn’t have been blushing over him earlier, “Then I’ll leave the happy couple with you, Aria.”

The orange haired woman stood up with her sword and exited the door, not feeling up to dealing with anyone trying to argue with her. Quinlan watched her leave. Bianca sat down where Vesuvius had been sitting. Once he noticed she had dozed off, Quinlan sat the notes down. His blue eyes looked at Aria and she got the silent message to follow. He pulled on his boots, shirt, jacket, and grabbed his weapon. Outside, he tried catching Vesuvius’s scent. Once he thought he found it he started walking with Aria at his side. His mind had been unable to concentrate on the Occido Lumen, it seemed to be stuck on other subjects…

“You will be offered a contract by someone close to you. When that time comes, take it. You have a destiny that lies after the master’s destruction, friend.”

Tasa’s first love had spoken of a contract. What sort of contract was he talking about? Unless it was something similar to what Ancharia spoke of once. A contract of blood with a familiar, maybe like the bond Vaun and Aria had formed…

“Quinlan, stop thinking so hard. I think smoke is starting to come out of your ears.” Aria laughed, “What are you thinking about, anyway?”

Aria was smart and a veteran in these sort of things…

“I was told by… Someone… That I would be offered a contract. When it happens, I should accept it.”

By the expression on her face, she instantly knew exactly what he was talking about.

“A contract with an S class demon. Or a magical creature, such as myself.”

“I remember Vaun made a connection with you.”

“That’s what it was, a contract.”

“What does this contract consist of?”

“You give your soul to this being of your choice. In return, you will be given some sort of ability.”

Quinlan nodded, listening to her intently. He had heard of such things before but never the actual process, nor the details of how such a thing is done.

“You give your soul to the creature, and they give you some sort of ability. The contract is sealed with a mark, similar to a scar. It will give you power over them as it gives them power over you. You would be the one giving your soul over. That means you will have a small amount of control over them. This seal allows the creature to always know your whereabouts. They can also summon you if you are needed.”

“Summon me?” He asked.

She nodded, “You will feel a pull in your mind and will be able to find them, even if you have no clue where they are. It’s very useful.”

“The mark, or seal as you called it. What does it look like? Where will it be?”

“The seal will choose the form of something you share with the creature. Where it will be will be based on how well you know this being. The process is very painful, though. Demons eventually consume the souls while beings more like me will do what they wish with the souls. When Vaun gave me his, I swore to protect it. He is no longer linked to the ancients. If they die, he is safe.”

“You have a destiny that lies after the master’s destruction.” Quinlan spoke the words out loud which gave him a very curious gaze from the female beside him, “What sort of life is there after the master is defeated?”

The image of Vesuvius and Santorini popped in his head and he stopped walking. The hyper little brat and her sister with the insulting name, both had somehow managed to find their way into his thoughts as if they were the answer.

“Vesuvius and Santorini…”

“I knew you’d figure it out eventually. Good for you.”

He looked to Aria, "Those two...”

“You and Vesuvius have some sort of connection to each other. Even when you acted like you hated her after first meeting her, I knew better." Aria looked at him again with her teal colored eye that wasn’t covered by the eye patch, “Fate is weird, am I right?”

"Just keep an eye out for Vesuvius. A female doesn't need to roam the streets at night in a place like this."

…

Bianca opened her eyes and growled when she saw she was alone. Her true form was itching to come out but she held it back. She had made the big mistake of sleeping with Quinlan once and the energy she had absorbed during that time had ruined humans for her. His sexual energy was like the most addictive drug. But he was smart and strong, seducing him would be a challenge. The succubus leaned back against the couch and ran her tongue over her lips. She hated competition and the little orange haired freak needed to be out of the picture.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no life, but we know this already. Crossover parts start in this chapter, so it probably won't make sense. I mean... There's strigoi running around everywhere, why not add shape shifters, mermaids, fae, and a dragon?

The rain was falling hard now, Vesuvius was already soaked and feeling chilled. The strigoi in front of her was blocking her path. She remembered him from before, the German strigoi that appeared human with makeup and prosthetics. He was smiling, looking her up and down. Everything about him seemed sinister.

 

"What are you, my dear?" His accent was heavy, as always.

 

"What?"

 

"What are you?" He asked again.

 

"Excuse me?"

 

"You are not human." She pulled her sword out and pointed it to him, "Now, now. Put that away."

 

He was slowly stepping closer to her. She wasn't sure she could take him on alone and running wasn't an option, not now. The rain did not seem to be affecting his makeup one bit and he seemed content to stand here in front of her all night.

 

"Your beauty is captivating. I can see why the born fancies you." Another step, "You smell of the sea with a hint of something more blazing."

 

This was getting creepy. The wind started blowing hard, reminding her of the bad weather around her. She never should have gone for a walk alone. Eichorst lunged towards her and she jumped back, feeling pain on her hand. The blade was brought down against him, cutting the jacket of his suit. Growling was heard, she wasted no time in jumping into various attacks against him. He dodged them all but was kneed in the stomach, the hilt of her sword coming down on top of his head. He fell to his knee and gripped her ankle, jerking her foot out from underneath her. Her back hit the concrete and pain radiated from the master's wound she thought had already healed. A scream erupted from her and Eichorst smirked, moving to stand over top of her.

 

"You are a gifted fighter but not strong enough, I'm afraid." He raised a fist and she closed her eyes but the pain never came. She opened them and looked up to see Quinlan standing over her, Eichorst's fist in his. Aria pulled Vesuvius away from the two as a fight started between them. 

 

"Quinlan!" 

 

Aria called for him and threw a silver grenade. Quinlan shielded himself and Eichorst jumped back, not getting the full effect of the attack. He ran and Quinlan started to chase after him but turned back to the two women behind him. 

 

"Oh, hell no!" Aria screamed and jumped up, "You take her back! Eichorst is MINE."

 

She left before anyone could protest. Aria had a bone to pick with him, anyway. She was just as fast as he was, staying on his heels as he ran. He was too injured to fight and Aria was anxious to finish him off. Managing to finally tackle him to the ground, she reached for her knife. The rain was making things difficult for her, though. He positioned his foot against her chest and kicked her off of him, turning and running once more. But she kept on, stalking him into the subway. She could smell him, following his trail. A hand fell on her shoulder and she turned to become face to face with Vaun.

 

"Vaun!"

 

"Let him go, princess. This is not the time."

 

"Fine..."

 

...

 

Quinlan helped Vesuvius slowly sit up, the pain in her back was excruciating but she managed to act as if it were not so bad. Her golden eyes looked up at him, "Thank you."

 

"Next time, do not go off alone."

 

"I know, I know. I wasn't exactly thinking." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

 

"You could have been killed. Do you have any idea how irresponsible your actions were?" He took a breath, "I can't lose you."

 

Vesuvius opened her eyes and looked back up into his, "What?"

 

"I can't lose you..." He seemed a bit unsure of himself, slowly picking her up in his arms.

 

As gentle as he was, she was still feeling pain. She closed her eyes and let her head rest against his chest. Quinlan could sense the pain she was in yet she was not complaining one bit.

 

'Tough girl.' He thought.

 

"What about your girlfriend? If she sees this..."

 

"I have not been in a committed relationship in centuries. Bianca is a succubus who thrives on sexual energy. I fed her hunger once."

 

Vesuvius blinked, confused, "A succubus. That's sort of mean to call her that."

 

"It's what she is."

 

"You knew she was a 'succubus' when you had sex with her?"

 

"I did. But, like most men, I needed a severe stress relief at the time. I was furious and needed something to distract me, to use my anger else where so I would have a clear head when facing the master again. She offered, I took it. I nearly killed her."

 

She laughed, "Angry sex works miracles for everyone, I suppose."

 

"That it does." He chuckled, to her surprise. 

 

A migraine was forming within the back of her head. Pretty soon the pain would grow and hit the point behind her eyes. The pain medication Eph had given her was back with her sister, who she hoped had finished messing around with Lar. She would just have to deal with the pain until they got back.

 

"What's wrong?" Quinlan asked, looking down at her, "Your body became tense and your breathing grew faster."

 

"A migraine... I'm fine. I can walk, you know." She smiled when he placed her on her feet. Her hands searched her pockets and found the small UV light, Eph had given her. She pulled her sleeves up and examined her arm with it. There were no signs of any worms, she hadn't been infected. The bloody mark on her hand was visible enough for Quinlan to examine it, "That's the second time I've been stung and nothing..."

 

He took her hand, looking over the wound. His hands roughly pulled open her wet jacket and moved shone the light over her exposed chest, "When were you stung the first time?"

 

"Not long after Tori and I first got here." She pulled her arm out of her jacket and showed him a fading scar, "Tori noticed the worm was... Hanging half out of the area the strigoi stung me at. She pulled it out and it was dead. I never turned and Eph checked me over after we met and found nothing."

 

The worms did not have any effect on her, Aria was the same way but she was not human. The born took her hand and held it close to his face. Slowly, he extended his stinger and ran it over the blood running from the wound. The taste was different than that of a human. Vesuvius watched him with no reaction to his appendage emerging from his mouth. If anything, she looked rather curious.

 

"You're beautiful."

 

He stopped and withdrew his stinger, "Excuse me?"

 

"You're beautiful." She repeated, ignoring the pain in her head and back, "Forgive me for being so blunt."

 

Unsure of how to react, he turned and started walking again. He did not get compliments often, especially about his looks. Slow steps were taken so she could keep up with her injury. He could feel she was in pain but she had one hell of a poker face. She was the type that hated to look weak. An arm was held out to her.

 

"I do not need assistance."

 

"I know but a gentleman would like to escort the lady back to safety." He smiled.

 

Smiling back, she took his arm, "Alright, then."

 

Although in a weakened state, he knew for a fact that she was far from weak. Her arm linked with his and they started walking. The pouring rain was no longer an annoyance with him beside her.

 

...

 

Santorini's bare back hit the wall hard when Lar attacked her with a rough kiss. Legs around his waist, she couldn't bring herself to give a damn. She was starting to understand the appeal to rough sex, now. Her cries and his grunts echoed throughout the area. Thankfully there wasn't anyone around to hear. Perhaps the ancients heard them? Lar just couldn't bring himself to give a rat's ass, they were the ones who encouraged it, after all. 

 

The area wasn't very romantic, an empty room underground with the door shut and locked so no one could get in. Any other time it would look like something out of her worst nightmare, the place looked like one of the abandoned places in horror movies where girls are taken to be raped and murdered but Santorini felt nothing but safe in Lar's arms. He wasn't going to let anything bad happen to her.

 

He moved faster into her, holding her close in his arms. It was as if she were made especially for him, she fit perfectly against him. Santorini leaned down and bit his neck, earning a deep growl from him. His eyes closed at the pleasure from it.

 

"Harder." He demanded.

 

Her teeth bit harder and she earned a groan from him. Lar had straight up told her he was into pain but she was too gentle of a person to inflict any on him. If she drew blood from him, she would most likely cry and Lar thought it was adorable how caring she was. He could feel she was nearing her climax as he held back his own, determined to see her go first.

 

"Lar, faster! Pleaaase!" 

 

He obeyed, slamming his hips hard into hers. She closed her eyes, feeling the orgasm taking over her body.

 

"L-Lar...!"

 

"Open your eyes. Look at me." 

 

Her golden eyes opened and met his gaze, that was when he lost it. He came hard inside of her and slowly dropped to his knees, embracing her against his chest. She straddled him and positioned herself so she could cuddle with him. Both were content to stay this way for a few hours. Lar maneuvered to pull his pants up but still opened enough to stay comfortably inside of her. His back leaned against the cool wall and he held her naked body tight, stroking and petting her hair with long purrs.

 

"Lar..."

 

"Hm?"

 

"W-what would you do or say if I told you I loved you?"

 

He stopped all movement.

 

"Too soon?"

 

No one had ever said such a thing to him before. He wasn't accustomed to hearing such kind words to him, he wasn't even sure if he should say it back. What did humans do in these situations?! Sure he had read about humans having emotions such as 'love' and 'hate' but he had only experienced the hateful kind. Hearing her say the three words threw him off but it made him feel some kind of way... A good way... Happy...?

 

"I... I think I would say I... Looove? You too?" The word felt foreign on his lips but it felt right saying it to her. This was all so new to him. Though it didn't feel unpleasant at all, "Yes. That is what I would say."

 

She giggled and curled up against his bare chest again. Her eyes closed and a smile was on her face, "Thank you, Lar."

 

"For?" He asked but she had already fallen asleep. The feeling of having someone so beautiful and human put so much trust in him was odd. Especially after his past with how he treated her kind.

 

But he was happy. Everything Vaun spoke of after he found Aria again made so much sense now.

 

He let his head rest against the wall and closed his eyes, allowing himself to rest with his mate in his arms.

 

...

 

Vesuvius was completely alright with walking and dealing with the pain in her back until they made it back to the Olympia Club. She had forgotten about the stairs. She hesitated but continued to hold onto his arm when she stepped up. Pain shot through her back and she could barely stop herself from crying out. The pain was sharp but also felt like a deep ache in the muscles. It was a pain she was not familiar with. Sure she had grown up with broken arms, legs, ribs, but this pain in her back was different.

 

"Vesuvius."

 

"Yes?"

 

"Do not pretend you are not in pain." She huffed a sigh at his statement and leaned an arm out to hold the railing of the stairs, "Asking for assistance is not a sign of weakness."

 

'It must be painfully obvious that I'm not okay.' She thought, flinching at the pun she had unintentionally made. Eventually, she nodded and Quinlan lifted her up in his arms. The idea that he thought she was weak as hell kept running through her head...

 

As was another migraine.

 

"Why is my luck so bad lately?" She asked, hand on her head, "It's getting bad fast!"

 

"We're almost there." He opened the door and there stood Bianca and Aria. 

 

"Tell me, you scaly slut. Do you plan to eat your mate Vaun after your done screwing him for the millionth time?"

 

Walking into the middle of arguments seemed to be happening a lot lately.

 

"And what business is it of yours whore? At least I'm not boring my mate to death, unlike you with Quinlan...." Aria rolled her eyes.

"More childish squabbling, I see." Quinlan put Vesuvius down, the two hadn't even noticed they had walked in. The loud yelling wasn't going to help with the migraine pain, either.

Vesuvius was desperate to get them to stop fighting, "Can we just try to get along-"

 

"Nobody is talking to you, bitch!" Bianca screamed and pushed the orange haired girl back from her. 

 

For Vesuvius, everything sounded like it was underwater yet it was deafening. The pain radiated from behind her eyes to the back of her head. All she could do was sigh and grip at her hair, not that it helped any. Crying wouldn't help but listening to loud yelling wasn't helping either.

 

"Besides... Suvi here would make a far suitable mate for him than YOU!"

 

Vesuvius tensed up upon hearing her words, she hadn't even tried understanding any of it through the pain until she heard her name, "W-what?"

 

Furious, Bianca narrowed her eyes and glared at Vesuvius, "He knows what he's in for with me. She's an inexperienced little virgin... Nobody wants that. Men want a woman who is experienced and know what they're doing."

 

"What?! How do you know all this crap about my personal life?!" She asked.

 

Bianca knew so much about her. Considering she also hated her guts, the fact that she knew personal details was rather worrisome. It gave her a paranoid feeling she did not like.

 

But Bianca rolled her eyes, "I can smell your innocence. You know he was a Roman. His people just loooved taking virgins against their will..."

 

The born physically tensed up, "This argument is pointless-"

 

"Ha!" Aria snorted a laugh, "Experience doesn't mean shit if there is no real love and affection behind actions. That is what I sense when he was with you. Nothing there at all, your pretty face definitely hides something ugly in you. All you ever do is start fights with every girl that tries helping us!"

 

Bianca extended her claws and attacked, jumping at Aria with a loud cry, "You bitch!"

 

But Aria just smiled, accepting the challenge in front of her, "Bring it on, hoe!"

 

The two met and an invisible force knocked Vesuvius back. Quinlan seemed to he prepared the unseen wave. Shaking his head as he watched, he seemed extremely annoyed. Bianca was always starting fights with everyone, it was nothing new at all. She loved giving off the image that she was somehow romantically involved with him and he was always extremely annoyed by her touchy actions with him. The woman just would not take 'no' for an answer, 'leave me alone' fell on deaf ears and his usual 'I'm not interested' comment was always ignored. He wasn't one to give up. So, he did his best to ignore her. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. Quinlan rolled his eyes and tried walking past the fight but stopped when he looked down and saw Vesuvius sliding down the wall to sit on the floor. Something about her didn't look quite right. Thankfully, Santorini came running in. She was confused when she saw Aria and Bianca but concern gripped her when she saw her sister on the floor.

"Suvi! You okay?" She ran to her and pulled her into a gentle hug, "Migraine?"

Vesuvius nodded and closed her eyes tight. She couldn't feel the injury on her back anymore. Staying still seemed impossible, the pain was horrendous. It had never been this bad before, it was starting to scare her a little bit. Santorini helped her up and took her into the room Eph usually was in. Surely they could find some sort of medication that could relieve the pain. It was quieter in here, thankfully. Vesuvius sat down and stared at the floor, there wasn't much else she could do.

"Here. It's not the strong stuff but it should help." Santorini huffed, "If they will shush in there, that'd be a great help."

"I'm sorry I didn't grab you and go back home after we discovered Dad was gone. We'd be safe with Mom if we had just left before the shit hit the fan."

"Don't think about that. A big part of fate is here, you need to discover it."

"Right."

"I swear to you, it will all make sense soon."

"I'm just tired of having headaches all the time. Trying to find something to talk or complain about doesn't seem to be helping. Sorry."

A light lit up the room and the two looked out the window to discover the rain had stopped and the full moon was shining brightly in the black inky sky. No stars seemed to appear anywhere around it and the clouds had all faded away, making the bright orb look slightly out of place. Vesuvius almost seemed entranced by it. 

"Suvi?" She received no answer and sat down beside her, "You okay?"

Silence.

Santorini followed her sister's gaze, "You're... Moonstruck. Your true self is waking up! Mom said you were a late bloomer. It should have happened before we left to come here."

She could hear her sister but she sounded muffled. Everything had sounded like it was underwater before, now she felt like she was completely submerged. Maybe it was the migraine but she felt like she was in a trance as she watched the moon. At least she did until the door broke burst open and the other two girls brought their fight into the quiet room. Still watching the moon, Vesuvius did not react.

"Aria! I need help! Stop fighting! Quinlaaaan!" Santorini called out, "Help me break them up!"

"I would suggest you let them fight it out. A human has no business trying to stop creatures such as those two." He said, "Even if it is annoying."

"No, you don't understand!" Santorini huffed angrily, reaching out to Aria. Before her hand could touch either of them, she was thrown back, "Guys, stop fighting!" 

Vesuvius heard her's voice start speaking clearly again, she had not even noticed the others in the room. Seeing her sister hurt made something in her snap. She stood up and threw her hand out towards Aria and Bianca. An invisible, yet cold force knocked them off of their feet and made them hit the cold floor hard. Objects that were on the table and wall fell and joined them when the room vibrated for a few seconds.

"What the actual fuck?!" Both Bianca and Aria looked up to see Vesuvius standing over them. Her golden eyes were glowing, looking down at them. A low growl was heard from her. Now, she seemed to be focused on them. Aria watched her and noted she was not moving, she was perfectly still. Quinlan reached behind him and unsheathed his sword slowly. The two women stopped fighting and stepped back once they were back on their feet.

"What the hell is she?" Bianca looked her up and down, sliding into a defensive stance, "She tried to kill us!"

"Shh... Don't talk..." Aria was afraid the smallest thing would trigger the woman so she spoke softly to Bianca, "If she wanted to kill us, she would have."

"Suvi!"

"Tori, stay away from her!" Aria's words fell on deaf ears. Santorini ran to her sister and wrapped her arms around her. She looked unsure of herself but she knew her sister would never hurt her. Slowly, Vesuvius looked down at her and embraced her back as tight as she could. Other than being slightly disoriented, she was starting to appear normal again.

"Suvi?"

"I'm not sure what just happened..."

"Your powers woke up! Atticus said it would happen!"

"Powers... Right..." She did not believe in magic, it just wasn't real. The one thing she noticed rather happily was her head was no longer in pain. Either the meds took effect or it had something to do with what had just happened. Either way, she was confused and terrified at the change she felt inside.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't have a beta reader so there are tons of mistakes, most likely.

"What is she?" The orange haired woman had tried changing the subject when anyone would approach her and ask any sort of questions about what had happened, even telling Bianca she had just imagined being thrown off her feet. If anyone would know what sort of being the woman in the other room was, it was Aria. Judging the emotion in her eyes, she would not tell him anything, "Aria."

"I'm not sure what she is." She lied, "She can help in our fight against the master, that's what's important."

Quinlan left the room, aiming to walk to the roof since it was dark and stormy outside. The sun wasn't out and he needed some air after everything that had happened earlier that morning. He knew Aria was lying to him when she said she wasn't sure about what the orange haired woman was. She had a different scent than her younger sister, but he did not think much of it at first. Santorini was a human but Vesuvius had a sweeter scent. He remembered the books Faustus had collected long ago, in one of them he had read of the Fae. Their gene skipped several generations but Vesuvius did not have Fae blood running in her veins. A fae smelled of flowers and wood chips. This woman smelled different. The fae had auras around them when they used their abilities, Vesuvius did not. 

Dragons were out of the picture. Aria was one and she had a habit of showing her power every chance she got as a warning for the humans and strigoi to stay away from her. Aria was pure power, a fighting spirit. Vesuvius was more elegant and extremely cautious. Her outlook on life revealed how protective she could be, especially when it came to her sister. There was no asking Santorini, for some reason he wasn't comfortable with asking her details about her sister. She had run off with Lar, anyway. The two were like two horny teenagers, no one could separate them. 

Quinlan then thought of her name. At first, he had been offended upon hearing she was named after a volcano that destroyed the ancient cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Now, he was starting to become more open minded to it. Her anger proved to be just as intense as a volcanic eruption if anyone dared to threaten Santorini. Tasa was also a force to be reckoned with when it came to protecting Sura. She was human but she had the beauty of a goddess. Louisa was not a goddess, but an angel who was able to see past his scars and brightly colored eyes. She was able to hide all of it so others would see him as a normal human being. But everyone who grew to love him was killed in the end. First his goddess, then his angel. If Vesuvius was to be in his life, it would mean the end of hers.

He took in a deep breath upon opening the door to the roof, only slightly annoyed that his thoughts kept going elsewhere. Concentrating on the subject of supernatural beings was difficult today. Aria would not give him the answers he was so desperately looking for. His pride kept him from asking the ancients. Bianca seemed as clueless as he was. Asking Vesuvius straight up what she was would get him nowhere. Trying to identify an unknown creature along with the knowledge of the crimson worm that was loose in the city was enough to drive him to the point of insanity at the moment.

"Try concentrating harder, I know you can stop this storm." It was Aria's voice he heard, "Just try, I know you can do this."

"I can't! This is impossible!"

"Not for you. Just try."

Vesuvius sighed and looked up at the clouds. This just seemed impossible, there was no way she could do magic. Surely there was some sort of scientific explanation behind what had happened earlier. She still was in denial over having powers, it just wasn't possible.

Vesuvius closed her eyes with her hand stretched out towards the sky. The raging storm had formed by itself but she felt the need to try and stop it. Her hand slowly twisted as she thought about how storms were made.

"Suvi! You're making it worse!" Santorini cautiously stepped closer to her, "Try reversing what you are doing."

Aria nodded, "Exactly that, imagine how a storm would dissipate."

She took in a deep breath and opened her eyes. She watched the storm and felt the muscles in her hand tense and pull. In her mind, thoughts of how a storm would form was in her head but she quickly reversed what she was thinking. It took almost ten long minutes for her to get into the right state of mind. The storm around them begin to calm and the dark clouds were starting to thin.

"You're doing it! Don't stop!" Aria announced happily followed by an excited squeal from Santorini.

Once the thunder and rain stopped, Vesuvius watched the light clouds in the sky and let her hand fall. So the sky wasn't blue but it looked the way it had the day before. Aria's arms were around her in an instant, her joyful laughs echoing around them. Santorini skipped up to the two and threw her arms over them both, "That was amazing!"

"You did it! That was amazing! Wonderful job!" Aria stepped back, jumping and clapping her hands, "The closer you are to the ocean, the stronger your powers will be. Remember that."

"I'll try..." 

"Now, if you learned to control weather this quick, the simpler abilities you have will be a breeze!"

"I hope so... There is no way this is really happening..." She felt exhausted but accomplished. Clearly, she wasn't doing anything else today. Not until she got rid of the weak feeling in her arms, "I think I'm going back inside now."

"Good. Eat something." Aria followed her in, "Maybe take a hot shower."

"If the water will get hot enough to her liking." Her sister gently elbowed her.

As long as the water still worked. Several of the people on the streets had been complaining of not having any hot water and Vesuvius could not bathe or take a shower if the water wasn't hot enough to blister the skin on a normal human being. Growing up, and even now Santorini often joked that her older sister had no nerves to speak of and required hot water to try and find them. It was funny at first but now it made so much sense. The first time Santorini tried jumping in the tub with her when they were young, she nearly had to go to the hospital because of the burns on her skin. That was when they all discovered that she did not like hot water as much as Vesuvius, Atticus, Cassia, and Maximus. But Aria seemed to have the same taste in bath water as Vesuvius. After all, dragons loved heat.

Once inside, she went straight to the bathroom. Santorini flopped down onto the chair by the window and looked down at the scene below. There weren't many people out, they all seemed to stay inside lately. Maybe it was for the best, with all of the blood suckers running around. Sitting and watching the old man read a book with Quinlan occasionally over his shoulder was becoming too repetitive.

About that time, Quinlan walked in. His blue eyes shifted from Aria to Santorini then to the professor, "Where is Vesuvius?"

"Shower." Santorini slid down further in her chair and crossed her arms, "I wonder if Lar will be free later... I'm bored."

Quinlan rolled his eyes and took his long jacket off along with his gladius. He placed them neatly on the closest table. His thoughts were going back to the Lumen when a terrified scream erupted from the bathroom, followed by a loud thump. The born grabbed his weapon and ran to the commotion.

"ARIA! TORI!"

Aria moved Quinlan out of the way and opened the door. Santorini was a little less graceful about it than the short haired woman was, nearly tripping and managing to clumsily knock Quinlan out of the way before she too went into the room, locking the door behind her.

"Aria, I need help! This isn't happening to me!" Vesuvius was wet and on the floor where she had fallen out of the shower. Instead of legs, there was a long, single tail twitching on the floor, "G-get it off! Get it off of me!"

"Suvi, calm down! It's okay!" Aria sat on the wet floor beside of her, "Stay calm, you're fine."

The younger sister turned the water off in the shower. Quickly, she grabbed several towels on a shelf beside the sink. Sitting on her sister's other side, she wrapped towels around the tail and fluke.

"Everything goes back to normal when dry. One drop of water takes ten seconds, fully submerged is instant." She said, softly, "Remember the books we read growing up."

Vesuvius grabbed one of the towels and quickly ran it over her hair to soak up some of the water then over the scales that covered her breasts, "You would think I would have been told about literally being one of these things while growing up! Did Mom think this was smart NOT telling me?!"

"It was for your protection." Santorini pouted.

"But you knew?! How was everyone but me knowing for my protection?! Did no one think it was important for me to know this little fact about my life?" She took in a deep breath, "Okay, get off of me you two, please."

"But, you're all wet. It needs to be taken care of." Aria moved the towel over her hips, "Hold still."

"Please don't touch me!"

"Just a second, you won't be so wet anymore."

"Get your fingers away from that!"

"Hold still!"

"It feels weird, you touching it!"

A loud bang on the door interrupted them, "What is going on in there?!"

"Nothing, Quinlan!" Aria made her voice sound a little too cheerful when answering his question, "Everything is fine! Just girl stuff..."

Vesuvius flopped back on the floor, "Girl stuff, my ass! Ow!"

"Sorry!"

"Stop!"

"I'm coming in!" Quinlan, sensing something was off, kicked the door open and saw a naked Vesuvius between Aria and Santorini on the floor. Quickly, she rolled back over and towels were thrown over Vesuvius to cover everything that didn't need to be seen. Her feet kicked one towel off from around her ankles.

"Quinlan! A little privacy?" She threw one of the towels at him.

He caught it before it hit could hit his face, "What's going on in here?"

"We were helping Suvi with some feminine issues."

"The scent of blood isn't in the air..."

"Quinlan!"

He sighed, annoyed, "I'm leaving."

The born closed the door and was still for a moment. The image of her still fresh in his head, he cursed the lust his human side felt. He would never have guessed she was the type to have a tattoo on her lower back and her body was perfect...

...

"Oh my God, Quinlan just saw me naked. Kill me now." She flopped back onto the floor, throwing a towel over her face.

"So?" Santorini lifted the material on her sister's face, "Lar has seen me and Vaun has seen Aria."

"Tori, you and Lar are in a relationship. So is Aria and Vaun."

Aria looked up, "Sooo, Quinlan likes you..."

"...And you like him." Santorini finished the sentence. 

"Speaking of Vaun, I was supposed to meet him earlier!" Quickly, she jumped up and waved at the two sisters, "Catch you later?"

She ran out the door, making sure Quinlan wasn't still lingering outside. Thankfully, he was back with the professor. As soon as Aria opened the door, she ran straight into Vaun. His arms embraced her instantly before she had even realized she had run into somebody.

"Mooove! I have to meet... Vaun! Sorry, I'm late... There was a situation in the bathroom." She laughed nervously.

Vaun raised a brow, "Should I ask?"

Aria closed the door and walked down the hall with him, her arms around one of his. She spoke softly, "About the fact that there was a newly awakened creature in the bathtub, in panic mode, freaking out."

"Sounds complicated."

"You're telling me." Aria slid down the railing and jumped to the door. It opened with a loud squeak that made her wince, "Everything I know about her kind says she will be a target if blood is drawn."

"Then we need to make sure that doesn't happen."

"You know it will be hard to keep her from fighting."

"Why did they keep such a secret from her?"

A sigh left her, trying to think of a way to explain their situation, "Because of who she is. It's a rather long story."

...

"I think it's beautiful, Suvi." Tori ran her fingers over the scales on her sister's tail, "Please don't be mad at me for getting you wet again, I just wanted to see..."

"I'm not mad, just nervous. I apologize from snapping at you earlier, it just feels odd." For the first time, Vesuvius touched what was once her thighs. The tail itself was purple, fading into a sunset shade of orange on the fluke. The scales were a bit slimy to the touch but it wasn't unpleasant to feel. She wasn't sure how to live without getting wet. If this was to happen in front of people...

"I have a rain coat, a black one." Santorini stroked her sister's hair, "I also have gloves that are made of the same material, it all came with the coat."

"The ones with the sushi with a happy face on the back of the hands?"

"Those are the ones!"

"The hood has cat ears."

"Yah!" She smiled, "It's cute!"

The younger woman reached into her jacket pocket, pulling out her camera and some other items. Several things were fiddled with and she finally turned so Vesuvius could see what she had been doing, "Tori, where did you get a selfie stick?"

"I always have one in my pocket, just in case! Now, I've been waiting to take selfies with you like this for years! Smile!"


End file.
